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Mobile devices : NCA to ban all fake phones

By Justice Kofi Bimpeh
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The National Communications Authority, NCA has revealed plans to ban substandard phones on the Ghanaian market.

According to the NCA, mobile devices that enter the country will now be tested for their authenticity before being released onto the market.

This follows the completion of a state of the art laboratory by the National Communications Authority to test such devices.

The NCA, together with other stakeholders in the telecommunications industry, has on a number of occasions lamented the effect of substandard mobile devices have on service delivery.

Speaking at the celebration of World Telecoms Day in Accra, Deputy Minister of Communications George Andah said the Ministry will do all it can to maintain high standards within the country’s telecommunication industry.

“The NCA has acquired the state of the art type approval laboratory capable of testing all electronic communication devices to ensure that they are up to standard”

“To the NCA, I request that you kindly liaise with mobile network operators to determine the level of potential risk with regards to the prevalent substandard mobile devices on the market”.

Ghana joined the rest of the world on Friday, May 19, 2019 to observe the 2019 World Telecommunications and Information Society Day under the theme “Bridging the standardization gap”. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the celebration since its inception in 1969.

The day was observed to raise awareness on the importance of the theme as well as encourage the implementation of international standards in Ghana’s communications sector in the bid to bridge the digital divide.

Chamber of Telecommunications to clampdown on fake phones

The Chamber of Telecommunications Ghana will in the coming days partner with stakeholders to clampdown on the sale of fake phones in the country.

According to the Chief Executive of the Chamber, Ken Ashigbey, most of these fake phones are in the country because there is a readily available market for it.

Fake phone brands have flooded the Ghanaian market because most of these brands are cheap as compared to the original brands. The sale of these fake phones has become a lucrative business for some traders in the country but it posts a business threat to most of the original brands.

Speaking on the influx at the launch of Jumia Mobile week, Ken Ashigbey said most of these fake phone dealers do not pay taxes and it's against the laws of the country.

"one of the challenges with these fake phones that come to the market is the fact that tax avoidance, they don't pay their taxes so definitely when you avoid taxes their penalties when you bring fake devices it's criminal and generally the law enforcement agencies will take their course but the only reason why these people do the things they do is because they are market for them."

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