Tackling menace of substandard mobile phones in Nigeria

THE trade on sub-standard mobile of phones has become a flourishing business in mobile sales outlet in the country.
  These phones popularly known and most times call ‘China phones’ or ‘chinco,’ a derogatory cliche to describe some of the sub standard products coming from China, have unique selling points – cheap prize tag and dual SIM platform. When the original products, which these counterfeits are adapted from, are selling at about $400 to $500, the fakes are selling for far less than a $100 and can contain two or four SIM cards.

However, what buyers of these products perhaps never put in perspective was the huge cost and pains that subsequently follows these cheap priced phones as against the original products that may cost a little higher.
   Most times, consumers, who are constrained by ignorance, poverty, inability to detect counterfeit products, go ahead to purchase fake products that may be rather harmful to them. Consumers opt for substandard or counterfeit mobile phones because they are cheap and look like the originals.
   All these are informed mainly by the advancement and sophistication of counterfeits in recent times, and compounded by the lack of zeal of producers to partner with regulators in the education of consumers to remove fake products from the market.
    In spite of the efforts made by government agencies like the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), to combat counterfeiting in Nigeria, the business appears to have taken a foothold to the detriment of consumers, manufacturers and government alike.
   The result of a recent research carried out by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the International Data Corporation (IDC), disclosed that Nigeria lost more than N19.8 million to software counterfeiting in 2009, and also recently, Microsoft, the global giant in software development, stated that consumers and companies spend millions of dollars each year on counterfeit copies, financing scammers, who threaten the integrity of the software industry.
   World-renowned mobile phone manufacturers, including Nokia, have identified Asia as one of the main sources of fake phones. In China, they are locally known as “Shanzai” or black market cell phones, and ‘Shanzai’ is a local term used to mean copied of faked products.
    The ever-growing ‘Shanzai’ market has responded quickly to the needs of mobile users by quickly manufacturing fake version of all the new models. The top models, which have been faked, include Nokia E86, Nokia N 95, Nokia 8800, Nokia E91, Nokia E69 and also Nokia N87. Like the originals, they come meticulously packed with a charger, headphones and an instruction manual.
   The only and the major difference is that these phones come without a warranty, cluttered and clunky software difficult to operate and low quality batteries, which may explode anytime. The fake versions do not adhere to any safety standards of the industry. These global brands have been warning mobile users about the dangers of buying a fake model. 
    In China, there was a case of a T45-year-old man, who was severely injured as his fake mobile phone exploded violently, causing serious burns.
   However, the UK market has been flooded with these fake mobiles, and in order to prevent customers from using these mobile phones, countries like the United States and Australia are devising ways to de-link these fake phones from connecting to their country’s existing mobile network.
   In the telecom market, apart from the loss of valuable income through the purchase of substandard mobile phones and their frequent replacement by consumers, there is a growing concern that the result of highly hazardous emissions from fake mobile phones, may soon begin to manifest.
    Counterfeit mobile phones are low in quality and do not meet safety standards, and in some situation, the radiation from them is beyond the permissible limits, and can cause serious damage to the health of consumers.
    Products of counterfeit products evade legitimate sources of government revenues like duties and taxes. Also employment opportunities are lost, as genuine producers and employers of labour are hindered from attaining economies of scale, and as a result forced to shut down on many occasions. This goes with the concern in the world that, terrorists get their funding from illegal activities like counterfeiting, smuggling, bunkering among others.
   In a speech delivered by Director-General, Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Emmanuel Amlai at a roundtable conference, on counterfeit products highlighted that products counterfeiting has become so prevalent that on a daily basis, the lives of consumers are threatened and national economy and security are jeopardised due to the prevailing activities.
    He said in view of the foregoing, the influx of fake and substandard products, has been a source of concern to the federal government and as the apex consumer protection agency, the issue has compelled it to come up with an interventionist programme like the establishment of joint task force, in conjunction with the SON, NESREA and market associations on fake and sub-standard electrical and electronic products.
     The Head of Care, Nokia West Africa, Mr. Silvin Sinan, some time in an event staged by Nokia in Lagos, explained that as long as the trade on counterfeit mobile devices continues, government loses revenue in the form of taxes, the economy loses potential employment opportunities, and investors are discouraged, thus dealing a deadly blow on government’s efforts at encouraging foreign direct investment (FDI). He said this discourages creativity and innovation, because the very existence of cloned counterfeit devices is an infringement on intellectual property.
    Sinan noted that the interesting thing about the trade in counterfeit devices is that it is a buyer’s market. This means that it is the demand for them that encourages the supply.” We believe that if the average consumer is aware of the potential hazards that he exposes himself to, every time he purchases a counterfeit device, chances are that he would have a rethink, the more people are aware of these dangers, the less vulnerable they become and the cheap prizes of these devices become less and less attractive,” he stated.
    As a further move to eliminate substandard products from the Nigeria market, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, director-general of the SON, at a telecom forum in Lagos stated that his organisation would be collaborating with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), to rid the Nigerian mobile market of fake devices that do not meet the stipulated international standard for products that should be imported into the country.
   However, in an interview with mobile phone dealers in Lagos, shows that there is ready market for phones considered as substandard because they are cheap, and comes with almost all the features of devices considered as superior products.
    They stated that these phones, which are mostly manufactured in China, are emerging technology that with time can be developed to meet with global standard, and that because most Nigerians live below average level, the devices have become widely acceptable to the masses.
    But according to SON, the influx of substandard phones would soon be curtailed, as it would adopt collaborative measures with the Nigeria Customs Service both at the country’s border and seaports in this regard.

Source: Guardian