Telecom companies to switch-off fake phones from networks -- SON

The Federal Government will soon order telecom companies in the
country to effect a nationwide switch-off of over 12.6 million
counterfeit phones from networks by using the International Mobile
Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.

This was disclosed by Dr. Joseph Odumodu, Director General Standards
Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

Speaking during an interactive forum with Phone Brand Owners in Lagos,
the SON boss pointed out that in 2013 alone, over N5 billion was spent
in Nigeria on the importation of substandard mobile phones, adding
that as at April this year, Nigeria currently has a GSM subscriber
base of 126,958,904; and 10 percent of these subscribers (12.6
million) use counterfeit phones.

He affirmed that the enforcement will boost consumer rights
protection, increased revenue for the government via taxes; increase
revenue for the genuine mobile phone manufacturers as well as improved
GSM networks in the country.

According to him, SON is working out the plan with Nigerian
Communications Commission, NCC, and Consumer Protection Council; the
phone operators, and "Soon government shall announce the directive to
switch the fake phones off the networks."

"As more countries switch-off counterfeit phones, the people behind
this scourge will keep moving to countries that are yet to adopt this
solution, hence the urgent need to address the situation," he said.

He enjoined all brand owners to monitor and protect their products
from the factories (manufacturers) until they get to the end-users.

"Brand owners have to inscribe coded identification marks on original
phones to ensure traceability and proper user's guide," he said.

Umego Adaora, CPC Scientific Officer Lagos Zonal Office, also urged
the brand owners to look beyond making money by considering the
negative effects substandard phones have on the economy, the
environment and the consumer.

Some of the brand owners reacted to the development:

Comfort Ebere, whose company is Nokia mobile sole representative in
Nigeria, noted, 'There is a phone I saw recently; Nokia as a brand
name and they wrote L300 but Nokia doesn't produce L300. I also saw
Nokia L800 and I asked where are these phones coming from? I was taken
a backed and I went to the office and spoke with my people to know
what is really happening in the markets. When we see a real Nokia
phones from us we know. If we key in the code and it doesn't bring up
the features we tell the customer, this is not from us."

Sunday Mbiam, who represented LG Electronics, said, "I must confess
that it has been very frustrating. You have good phones in the market
but getting complaints from consumer that most of the products they
found in the markets are faked. They must have bought it from
roadsides and not from the main dealers. We have a good warranty in
places such that in case of defaults take your phone to any of our
centre for replacement. And we want to encourage Nigerians to
patronise our dealers and not road-side phone vendors."