The ICT
revolution kicked off a lot of business opportunities in the country making the
Nigeria market to be referred to as the largest in Africa. Unfortunately, it
opened up the nation to all forms of dubious business activities; one of such
is the thriving trade of fake and substandard mobile phones.
THE MOBILE phone industry growth in Nigeria, which was kicked off following the revolution
of the ICT opened the country to several business opportunity benefiting everyone but the nation is unfortunately likely to pay for it unless some key
regulation ideas are urgently addressed.
One of such is
the volume of unregistered mobile phones that are brought into the country by brief
case carrying mobile phone dealers and mobile manufacturers who are taking
advantage of the corruption in the Nigerian society.
Recently,
a Chinese man identified as Lin Tian Huan, was arrested at the popular
Computer village, home of ICT products in the country by the task force of the
Phone and Allied Products' Dealers Association of Nigeria, PAPDAN, an
association of traders in the computer village for being in possession of
10,000 substandard mobile phones.
He was found
with fake and substandard mobile phones which passed for Nokia and Samsung
brands.
Upon
questioning by the police at the Computer Village, Huan said he illegally
imported over 10,000 pieces of different models of mobile phones products into
the country.
Standards
Organisation of Nigeria, SON, recently sealed a Chinese warehouse stocked with
suspected substandard phones during its enforcement exercise in Ikeja.
SON discovered
that the warehouse had mobile phones that were not registered with it and could
not be linked with neither registered manufacturer nor importer.
According to
the director-general of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, Dr.
Joseph Odumodu, more than 80 percent of the mobile phones and other related
computer accessories at the market are not genuine.
In China, where
most of the fake and substandard mobile phones were said to originate, a mobile
phone recently exploded and caught fire in a bus.
Reported by the
Guardian UK, CCTV footage from the bus in Nanchong city, in South-West China,
showed the phone battery exploded in its owner's hand and caught fire. The
incident happened as the passenger was changing her phone batteries.
The Daily Mail
UK also reported that a shop worker died after his mobile phone exploded,
severing a major artery in his neck.
It was believed
that the 20-year-old man just finished charging the phone’s battery before
placing it in his breast pocket. Alarmingly, local reports claimed the incident
was the ninth recorded mobile phone explosion in China since 2002.
In June 2007, a
welder Xiao Jinpeng, 22, died from chest wounds when his mobile phone exploded
while at work at a mill.
Although there
are no record yet of mobile phones exploding and killing people yet the large
number of mobiles that enter the country including the fairly used ones worries
stakeholders.
And indeed, that worries the NCC too compelling it host on its website warning
on the danger of fake or substandard mobile phones saying that beyond technical
issues, it also has its health hazard.
The NCC said
that before mobile phones are sold in each market all models of genuine phones
are tested to ensure they are safe for users, including testing to make sure
they meet national and international standards for exposure to radiofrequency
emissions.
All mobile
phone batteries and chargers must undergo the same stringent testing to ensure
they meet all levels of safety. Genuine mobile phone batteries are tested under
intense conditions to ensure they can handle varying conditions of use.
Counterfeit and
substandard mobile phones, batteries and chargers on the other hand are not
subject to such comprehensive testing and therefore the safety of fake phones
cannot be verified or guaranteed.
According to
the Commission, around the world, there are incidents where mobile phone
batteries have exploded and injured people. Upon investigation these incidents
have been linked to the use of counterfeit or sub-standard batteries.
Counterfeit and some third party manufactured batteries do not meet all of the
safety requirements that prevent these incidents. Non-genuine batteries may not
have safety circuits which regulate voltage, current and heat within the
battery, without these the battery can short circuit and explode or heat up and
burn people.
The NCC stated
that fake phones, batteries and chargers are made from cheap, substandard
components and may contain chemicals, which are dangerous to the environment
and human health.
It added that
the cheap and low quality components used to manufacture fake phones and
accessories are untested, uncertified and can be a safety hazard for users
saying that the substandard components in fake phones often malfunction with
the potential to injure users and damage property.
It said further
that fake phones can also contain dangerous chemicals and metals, such as lead and
mercury noting that these are associated with a range of adverse health
effects.
Fake phones,
the NCC observed have been known to cause a drain on mobile phone
networks thereby reducing network speed and reception for users stressing that
some of them have unpredictably short lives.
The Commission
said that they are not registered or certified to operate on cellular networks
because they are produced from cheap and substandard components that can damage
service in a network area adding that testing has shown that counterfeit and
substandard phones experience high levels of dropped calls and failed
connections.
Recently, the
Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, said that the task of checking the in
flock of fake and standard mobile phones into the country was beyond its power
because several loopholes in the nation’s boarder make it possible for all
kinds of phones to come into the country.
According
to the Secretary General of the Mobile Manufacturers Forum, MMF,
Mr. Michael Milligan some of the tell tale signs of counterfeit
mobile phone products are the price and the poor quality saying
consumers should look for inaccurate printing, misspelled words, crooked label
placement and signs of defective workmanship.
He added that
they do not come with warranty saying that all
genuine mobile phone manufacturers offer a limited warranty that covers the
handset, software and accessories.
He said:“Look
out for words like ‘Replacement battery for…’ or ‘Charger compatible with…’..
Genuine products tend to only state which model handset the product is for”
saying that to avoid fakes, consumers should always buy mobile phone products
made by registered manufacturers and sold by trusted retailers.
“If you are
looking to replace a battery or charger then you should refer to the original
manufacturer’s information to make sure you purchase the appropriate battery or
charger for your model of phone,” Milligan said.
According to
the International Telecommunications Union, ITU, One out of every five mobile
phones sold in the world are illegal or unlicensed copycats saying that the
Middle East and Africa which include Nigeria, Turkey, Egypt, Iran account for
38.2 million units.
Also shipments
of gray-market China-made mobile phones reached their peak in 2011 with a total
of 250.4 million according to IHS iSuppli report.
On the effects,
the ITU said that it results to loss of revenue due to non-payment of
customs duties and sales taxes saying that the danger it posses to public
security is the absence of valid IMEI or “no IMEI” number which are potentially
attractive for criminal activity and terrorism.
Also on
security and privacy issues, ITU said in cases of theft or stolen phone,
it is difficult to track the phone with invalid IMEI or “no IMEI” number while
the operator experiences lowering of QoS of mobile telecommunication services
such as loss in voice and data capacities, data transmit speeds, reduced
coverage
