Move to ban fake phones draws mixed reactions

The plan to switch off counterfeit mobile handsets from the networks by Rwanda Utilities Regulatary Agency (RURA), has drawn mixed reactions from consumers and dealers.Some of the consumers who spoke to The New Times yesterday said that, they are tired of fake mobile phones which don’t last long, saying they should be banned for good in the country, while traders said otherwise.RURA on Wednesday announced plans to switch counterfeit mobile handsets off the networks due to the fact that they were affecting the quality of communication and posing a health risk to users.Jean Paul Nsanzimana said: “I bought a cheap fake mobile phone in one of the shops in town but I did not use it for two days. These phones have fake batteries; they have unbearably irritating ringtones. I am happy for RURA to have come up with this idea because it is in our interest.”He observed that, RURA took long to switch off the counterfeit mobile gadgets.“I stopped using fake phones because I realized that I was spending a lot on them due to their technical problems. I now use original Nokia phone and I have spent six months without encountering any challenge resulting from its use,” Nsanzimana, who deals in furniture, explained.The campaign to blacklist fake mobile devices that kicked off in Kenya on Monday saw millions of fake gadgets blocked from networks of all mobile phone operators in the country.According to RURA, all unregistered handsets and those with non-authentic International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers are considered to be counterfeit and will soon be disconnected.Muhammed Nyamucahakomeye welcomed the move but blamed RURA for not imposing tough measures to ban their importation.“I innocently purchased a mobile phone because it was very cheap and had the two-SIM card option, but the phone was so fake to the extent of failing to connect to telecommunication networks. I ended up disposing of it,” he said.Nyamucahakomeye however suggested that government should encourage mobile phone dealers to import original phones with an option of two SIM-cards and affordable to all people.According to RURA, despite the use of electronic equipment type approval to determine fake phones, dealers find a way of sneaking them into the country.As the consumers welcome the initiative, the phone dealers are contesting the move, saying it is to the detriment of their businesses.“We have stocked cheap phones because they are the ones that are mostly wanted by the larger section of the population. At least the government should consider our business’ losses before they implement the ban,” said Hamza Niyonsenga, who works with MT Star Ltd, a phone dealership.He explained that the cheapest counterfeit phones cost between Rwf6,000 and Rwf10,000 and the most expensive do not go beyond Rwf60,000.“An original Samsung i9500 touch screen costs Rwf650,000 and the fake one is at Rwf60,000, and most young people come for the fake ones because they look stylish and cheap. If they disconnect these phones off the network, we shall lose our business,” he noted.Niyonsenga added: “we pay rent, taxes and selling original and expensive phones will not meet our demands.”He stated that the cheapest original phone costs Rwf 15, 000, which is three times the price of the cheapest fake one.Fake mobiles include counterfeits, knock-offs, imitations, copycats and replicas, which steal design and trademarks to deceive consumers and all fake phones are produced without government certification and are sold illegally on the world’s black market.In Rwanda, statistics indicate that about 47.5 percent of Rwandans now have access to a mobile phone. Clementine Uwase, a mobile phone dealer at New Dubai Phone, said the idea is not favouring mobile phone sellers and consumers at all.“People come here to buy cheap mobile phones because they cannot afford original ones. Most of the phones sold in most shops in town are counterfeits so this is a big challenge,” she noted.Uwase appealed to the government to give them ample time to sell off their stock.The move to disconnect counterfeit mobile phones in Rwanda is part of a wider decision to do away with these products in the region.Kenya was the first to launch the campaign this week, while Uganda intends to implement it in in the near future. What they sayA mobile phone dealer at New Dubai Phone, said the idea is not favouring mobile phone sellers and consumers at all.If they disconnect these phones off the network, we shall lose our business.I bought a cheap fake mobile phone in one of the shops in town but I did not use it for two days.I innocently purchased a mobile phone because it was very cheap and had the two-SIM card option, but the phone was so fake to the extent of failing to connect to telecommunication networks.I innocently purchased a mobile phone because it was very cheap and had the two-SIM card option, but the phone was so fake to the extent of failing to connect to telecommunication networks.

National

Move to ban fake phones draws mixed reactions