Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012 |
Kigali, Rwanda ? According to the Director for Public Communications in the Ministry of Information and Communications, Mary Ombara, Kenyan mobile phone users have until September 30 to replace their counterfeit mobile phones.
?Recently the government launched a three months campaign to educate Kenyans on the risks associated with using counterfeit mobile phones and steps the consumers should take to establish if their mobile phones are genuine,? she told East African Business Week in an interview in Kigali, Rwanda.
Ms Ombara was among the participants who attended the East Africa media summit organized by the East African Business Council and East African Community (EABC/EAC) held recently in Kigali, Rwanda.
She explained that counterfeit or fake phones are copies of popular brands and models made from sub-standard materials.
?They are usually not tested and certified for safety and are often made from sub-standard components by parties that are not the genuine brand owners, while in some instances, the International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI) of counterfeit phones is either duplicated in many other phones or does not conform to the recognized GSMA structure. IMEI is a 15-digit number that is unique to each mobile handset, ?she said..
She said that one can identify his or her handset?s IMEI by simply dialing *#06# adding that in most phones, the IMEI is usually printed inside the handset below the battery. As a rule, the IMEI of genuine handsets does not contain repetitive numbers, alphanumerical, decimals, fractions or letters.
As indicated in 1 above, counterfeit handsets are not tested and certified for safety. They may, therefore, pose health risks to users as they may emit higher levels of radiation than is recommended.
Though usually cheaper than genuine products, counterfeit handsets are of poor quality and have a very short lifespan.
In some instances, counterfeit handsets come with duplicated IMEI, which makes it difficult for law enforcement agencies to track down criminals who use mobile handsets to commit crimes. In addition, counterfeit handsets are usually sneaked into the country through dubious means, thus denying government of the much-needed revenue.
They also negatively affect the quality of service provided by mobile service providers e.g. high incidence of dropped calls largely due to their inability to connect seamlessly to the mobile networks. In short, counterfeit handsets are bad for users and the country.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication, Dr. Bitange Ndemo, said that it has become necessary for the government to ensure that all mobile phones are genuine to safeguard the health of consumers and also to promote confidence in our globally acclaimed mobile innovations.
?In this era of mobile banking, use of counterfeit devices, which are manufactured without due consideration to the recognized security standards, may expose our mobile money systems as well as the wider banking and financial system to unnecessary risks.
The Government cannot allow this to happen and thus our decision to have all unregistered SIM cards and counterfeit handset mobile phones phased out by 30th September 2012,? he said in a statement issued by the Communication Commission of Kenyan (CCK).
According to industry statistics by the Commission, close to 3 million mobile phones in the Kenyan market are counterfeit, translating to about 10% of all the active mobile devices in the country.
This has not only infringed on the manufacturer?s intellectual property rights, but has also denied the government revenue in form of tax.
In accordance with Regulation 24 of the Kenya Information and Communications (Importation, Type Approval and Distribution of Communications Equipment) Regulations 2010, requires all mobile phones to be type approved. Contravention of this statute attracts a fine not exceeding three hundred thousand shillings or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or both.
?As the industry regulator, the CCK is mandated by law to protect consumers of communications services and in consultation with representatives from the four mobile operators, mobile phone manufacturers and relevant government ministries and agencies, we will continue to execute this mandate,? Ag. Director General CCK.Francis Wangusi said.
How to identify a mobile phone
Ms Ombara advises that you carry out simple research and shop around for the mobile phone(s) that interests you.
She advises that it is better to keep in mind the desired manufacturer, model, features, appearance, color, software, availability of manufacturer?s warranty, availability of the phone in the market and price. This information can be obtained from the manufactures website.
?You have to determine if the phone has been type approved by the Communications Commission of Kenya purchase mobile phone from a licensed vendor but insist on seeing the CCK registration certificate of the vendor and check to see if the phone is genuine by sending the phone?s IMEI to 1555 via SMS,? she concludes.
Copyright ? 2012 East African Business Week. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections ? or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
Related posts:
- Phones poised to replace the money in your pocket
- Officers Smuggling Mobile Phones Into Prisons
- Say no to fake phones! ? Nokia campaigns against Counterfeit Phones in Ghana and Africa
- Nokia Ghana to Embark on Campaign to Flush out Fake Nokia Phones
- Nokia Launches Dual SIM Phones
Source: http://www.ghanamma.com/2012/08/rwanda-fake-phones-risky-to-business-health-security/
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