The National Communications Authority (NCA) is engaged in a strategy to drive down the volume of counterfeit mobile devices in Ghana’s telecom market.
On May 19, 2019, during the celebration of World Telecommunication Day, the national telecoms market gendarme revealed that the phones imported into the country will now be authenticated by him. The decision was made following the completion of the work of the NCA-commissioned testing laboratory.
Although many measures have been taken in the past by the government to better regulate the entry of counterfeit phones on its territory, including border surveillance, many importers have always managed to fall through the cracks.
This time, with the technical laboratory, it is no longer only the international mobile identification number (IMEI) that will be verified by the authorities, but also the very operation of the device.
It will no longer be only the protection of state revenue that the NCA will aim to track counterfeit phones, but also the health of consumers.
Counterfeit phones, beyond affecting the quality of services because they do not meet international manufacturing standards, also pose a health risk. The radiation they produce is stronger and more dangerous.