Nokia warns of fake phones

Nokia’s General Manager-sales- in charge of Ghana and Senegal, Mr. Ludovic Falcou, has warned that the prevalence of counterfeit mobile phones in the country is capable of negatively impacting the Ghanaian economy.

Mr. Falcou was making a presentation at a media interaction in Accra. “Importers of fake mobile devices typically avoid payment of taxes and levies thus creating huge income losses for the government,” he said.

He noted that the trend is also capable of discouraging foreign direct investment as international companies are likely to direct their investment elsewhere.

He further warned that high penetration of fake devices impacts negatively on the operator networks. This, he said, “lowers the profits of the networks and the attendant tax income.”

The Nokia boss however said that recent trend in the market shows that Ghanaians are beginning to embrace genuine products. The trend, he said has been helped by the recent launch of the Nokia dual-SIM in the Ghanaian market.

Mr. Falcou said the lure of cheap prices amounts to being penny-wise pound-foolish, as the so-called cheap devices have a shorter lifespan.

He also stressed the need for users of Nokia phones to take full advantage of the numerous applications available on Nokia store, including Music, videos, games and navigation.

The Ovi store is only available on genuine Nokia Devices. Beyond this, all genuine Nokia devices purchased in Ghana are covered by a one-year warranty.

The Nokia warranty starts from the date of purchase and it guarantees the user of repair at no cost and even replacement in the event of malfunction.

He said Nokia is also able to reduce the cost of Internet access on their phones through strategic partnership with operators.

Nokia is the world’s number-one manufacturer of mobile devices by market share.

Beyond its leadership status as a manufacturer of devices, Nokia is fast-becoming a leading solutions provider in the converging Internet and communications industries, providing Internet services that enable users to experience media, messaging, maps and games.