Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) together with all licensed telecommunication operators are working towards disconnecting any mobile phone that doesn’t meet the minimum required standards that were set out by the commission.
The Pearl of Africa has for years been a dumping ground for counterfeit, cheap and second hand mobile phones especially from China and other European countries. These fake phones have flooded the streets of Kampala and infiltrated some authentic mobile shops too.
It is estimated that 58% of the 41 million Ugandans own a mobile phone. But of all the mobile phones that are currently active on the network, 40% of them are counterfeits. This directly translates that over 9.6 million Ugandans are using counterfeit phones, something UCC says complicates the safety of consumers in Uganda.
The increasing number of counterfeit phones in the country is attributed to the leniency by the customs officials at Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) according to a 2014 survey carried out by Uganda Communications Commission. The survey further identified black market smuggling and inadequate technology to switch off counterfeit phones as dominant factors that have led to their increased number in Uganda.
UCC working with URA
For the above matter, Director of Engineering at UCC, Irene Ssewankambo met with URA’s commissioner for customs Dickson Kateshumbwa to come up with measures to patch the entry of counterfeit mobile phones during clearing. Something seen as killing the vice in the bud. This would save innocent Ugandans from losses after spending money in purchasing counterfeit phones that would soon be switched off and rendered useless.
The new system will see mobile phones without an authentic International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) not able to connect to any of the registered telecom networks in Uganda. In other words, they will all be switched off the telecom grid. Most counterfeit phones are copies of popular brands and cannot be traced by law enforcement agencies when used to mastermind crimes. We previously showed you how to do a self check to know if you having a counterfeit device. If you haven’t checked yet, I advise you to read our article about how to check if your phone will be disconnected by UCC.
The head of consumer protection at UCC, Ibrahim Bbosa said that UCC and telecom operators had agreed to assemble a team of engineers to re-activate the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), which contains all the IMEIs of all handsets that are active on a given telecom network.
UCC is currently dealing with the issue of SIM card replacement and issuance of new ones as cabinet told the commission to increase on the number of centers where SIM cards can be replaced. But the engineers from the commission and all telecom companies already set out to assess the re-activation of equipment that will make the giant switch off possible.
“On our part as the regulator, the equipment will enable us block counterfeit phones”, Ibrahim Bbosa said. The commission will then give a grace period to the 9.6 million Ugandans using counterfeit phones before they flip the switch on them.
