NTA to crack down on uncertified mobile sets

KATHMANDU, MAY 25 -

The Nepal Telecommuni-cations Authority (NTA) has decided to strictly implement type approval certification (TAC) for the import and sale of mobile handsets. The telecom regulator is cracking down on handset manufacturers and their local authorised dealers as they have been disregarding the rules.

New brands and models of handsets are launched in the local market almost daily, however, barely 160 models from various brands have obtained TAC to be eligible to be imported and sold. Four brands—Nokia, ZTE, Oxygen and Ubest—have obtained TAC for altogether 22 models in the first eight months of the current fiscal year.

TAC is issued to cell phones meeting a minimum set of the regulatory, technical and safety requirements fixed by the NTA. The government made TAC mandatory from June 1, 2008 under the Telecommunications Act 1997. However, manufactures, importers, authorised distributors and traders have been disregarding it.

The NTA said TAC would make local authorised distributors and dealers responsible for faulty handsets and liable to pay compensation for any harm, injury or loss caused by their use.

“Customers who have suffered harm, injury or loss should be properly compensated by the authorised local representative if it is due to a malfunction in a type-approved device,” states the working procedure issued by the NTA. The manufacturer’s representative has been directed to discontinue the import and sale and replace all the sets already on the market in case of defects in the equipment resulting in unacceptable performance.

“Only those having an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number are allowed to be imported and sold,” said Kailash Prasad Neupane, spokesperson of the NTA. He added that the NTA had also written to the Ministry of Finance and the Customs Department to direct customs offices to allow entry of only type-approved handsets.

According to the NTA, this will help curb illegal imports of handsets, increase revenue collection and discourage imports of substandard sets having no IMEI, a unique number given to each mobile phone. The regulator also intends to inspect the market for illegal handsets. “It is a good provision ensuring that only authentic products are sold in the market,” said Narayan Bhardwaj, national sales manager of CG Mobile Division. CG is a dealer of LG mobiles in Nepal. So far, it has obtained TAC for 36 LG models. Bhardwaj said that they were preparing to obtain TAC for two new LG models soon.

NTA charges Rs 1,000 or US$ 15 per model to issue TAC. Initially, the certification is issued for a period of six months, and if there are no

complaints about the product, the regulator clears it for sales for a period of five years. The NTA has been awarding TAC based on lab reports or declarations of conformity

provided by the manufacturer. In the near future, the authority is planning to issue TAC by using special software to make the process easier and save time.

Source: The Kathmandu Post