TANZANIA Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has reminded citizens to verify all mobile phones before purchase ahead of June 16 deadline to switch off fake gadgets.
The reminder comes hardly 35 days before
the telecommunication industry regulator disables all counterfeit
phones on June 16, 2016.
In the same vein, traders were warned
against changing International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number
of mobile devices as it is against the law, and whoever is caught will
be subjected to a 30m/- fine, 10 years in prison or both punishments.
Addressing reporters in Dar es Salaam
yesterday, TCRA Head of Corporate Communications Innocent Mungy said
there are few dishonest traders who are disposing of their fake phones
by selling at very low prices.
“Heading towards the sub-standard phones
switch-off exercise in June, there are few dishonest traders who sell
these bogus mobile phones at throw away prices to get rid of their
consignments of fake handsets.
We would like to advise the public to be
more careful now when they want to buy mobile phones,” he charged. He
said following an extensive mass education programme by the regulatory
agency across the country since last December, the number of devices in
the market with duplicated IMEI numbers has decreased from almost 30 to
13 per cent by March, this year.
Mobile phones with recognised IMEI
numbers have increased from 79 per cent to 83 per cent between December
last year and March this year.
TCRA announced last February that
Tanzania was set to switch off all counterfeit mobile phones on June 16,
2016 to protect consumers against inferior phones, safeguard mobile
payment systems and prevent crimes.
The move came at a time when estimates
showed that 40 per cent of mobile phone users in the country used fake
handsets. Mobile networks will also be forbidden from activating new
counterfeit devices bought after the switch-off deadline.
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