By JAMES KUNDA? –
A JOINT technical committee has been set up to clampdown on the sale?of substandard mobile phones in the country.
The committee comprising the Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS), the?Zambia Information Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) and the?three mobile service providers has been constituted to regulate the?sale of cheap imported mobile phones on the black market.
ZABS director Manuel Mutale said in an interview that the bureau had?fast-tracked the process of dealing with the sale of imported?substandard cellular phones which come under different brand names and?a fetching as low as K50.
“We have fast-tracked the process of dealing with the sale of substandard mobile phones because this is now a matter of urgency as it is conflicting with the provision of quality services by the mobile service providers,” he said.
Mr Mutale said the agency had indentified that communication via?cellular phones had been adversely affected by quality of handsets that?subscribers were procuring from the market cheaply.
When the technical committee concludes its work; recommendations will be made for the agency to enforce a particular quality standard that will be recommended on mobile phones selling?locally.
Meanwhile, Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) executive director Samuel Simutunda said in a separate interview yesterday that there was need to sensitise consumers to refrain from purchasing substandard mobile phones.
“The influx and sale of imported substandard mobile phones is a source of concern and serious worry as it is affecting the provision of quality services.
“ While addressing this issue, ZABS should also sensitise consumers on the need to refrain from purchasing such products so that buyers get value for their money,” he said.
Mr Simutunda said ZABS should implement stringent monitoring mechanisms at the border points so that imported products are screened to test for a specific grade of quality.