The mobile market in Pakistan today is worth billions of rupees. Everywhere you go you see a mobile shop, a mobile accessory shop, or a mobile mall.

You have major brands like Apple, Samsung and Nokia available, but you can also easily find local brands such as QMobile and Voice. And if you are one of those looking for a counterfeit phone, well unfortunately those are available as well!

These counterfeits come in every shape and size. Styled to imitate major brands, you can buy a copy of an iPhone or a Galaxy S or the HTC, whatever you wish! These phones are cheap and readily available in major mobile markets.

These phones provide a much cheaper alternative to some of the relatively expensive phones out there and, believe it or not, they are jam packed with features including: radio, TV, dual SIMs and much more; something the common man is looking for.

A new study states that companies and people spent millions of dollars on producing and buying counterfeit phones last year; Asia being the main sources of these phones. And as all of us know, a lot of these phones find their way into the Pakistani market.

Health Hazard

People buy these substandard and/or counterfeit phones but are unaware of the fact that these phones generally have no warranty, are of low quality, do not use standard technology, and do not have safety measures.

It has been proven by research that substandard mobile phones emit dangerous radiation that can be extremely harmful to health.

These phones usually don’t function well and also have the potential to malfunction and injure the user.

These phones not only affect the user but also drain the resources of the mobile network resulting in slower network speeds and reception.

Although these phones seem cheap in the beginning, they generally end up costing more as they don’t have a long life span and can die an instantaneous death.

Substandard phones not only cost the user, but also affect the national exchequer. The government ends up losing tax and custom revenue and the economy also loses out on potential employment opportunities.

The Solution

It is possible to identify these phones on a mobile network and have them cut off, but this can only be done by promoting new technology on the networks, as is being studied by Australian and US authorities. However, the other aspect of this is that a major chunk of revenues for mobile operators comes from these phones in countries like Pakistan and the operators might not be willing to take such a risk.

It is clear that the use of these phones is a menace, which is why the authorities and the affected parties have to find a way to curtail the use of these hazardous phones.