Communications Commission of Kenya has today launched a public awareness campaign dubbed āPata Ukweli wa Mtamboā 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. The campaign will lead up to the switch off date which is set for 30th September 2012.
The awareness campaign is great butĀ switching off fake phones, no no , it is not going to happen. We have heard that song before and I don’t think it is going to happen anytime soon. I can bet that CCK will postpone the deadline or just go quiet on it when that time comes. According to Industry statistics by the same CCK, 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.Now the problem comes from the mobile network operators who are enjoying the cash from the 3 million fake phone users.Ā 3 million is not a smallĀ number.Ā I expect a big resistant and the back of the scene maneuvers from the network operators.
Let’s be practical between device manufacturers and network operators and with the current arrangements the Government will go with network operators any time. It is anĀ open secret thatĀ Government has huge shares and interest on both Orange and Safaricom, switching off 3million users will hit Safaricom hard, followed by Orange. Safaricom being the highest tax contributor to the Government….I say mmmmh
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.
I stand to be corrected…
What is a fake phone, let’s start with that. Just because a phone is not a recognized brand like Nokia or Samsung does not make it fake. If you manufacture a phone and call it Nokia, then it is fake. If you call it Nokla, is that a fake Nokia or a phone branded Nokla?
I doubt they will switch them off. Our house help, the neighbourhood watchman, the guy who came to fix my tap all have ‘fake’ phones, and that is just a random sample. So does that mean CCK will switch them off, not happeningĀ
CCK is incompetent and those regulations are grey. What about flashed phones(legit or not)?
Too much talk and no action at all!