Supporting the department of telecom (DoT) directive to bar telecom services to illegal or unbranded handsets by November 30, the Indian cellular association (ICA) has appealed to customers to desist from purchasing such devices. “We strongly feel that we should ban such imports at the port of entry permanently,” said Pankaj Mohindroo, national president of Indian cellular association.

It is estimated that the DoT’s directive will result in disconnection of up to 25 million handsets. The international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) number is often cloned from genuine mobile phones on fake handsets. To know if the number is genuine, one should SMS it to 57886.

“All Chinese handsets are not fake. But most of them are and this is a grave cause of concern since these phones account for 25 per cent to 30 per cent of the market. They are threats to national security since terrorists can use them. They (handsets) are also a threat to the industry,” Mohindroo said. “Besides, there is no concept of after-sales service with them. And if the material used is substandard, it could be hazardous to the consumer’s health.”

ICA is the apex body of the mobile industry comprising manufacturers, br­and owners, application and solution providers, distributors and retailers. “Around 93 per cent of the phones sold in India are in the under Rs 6,000 price bracket. So, manufacturers have been doing excellent work in offering value to the customer and this should encourage them to avoid the grey market,” he said.