IS YOUR PHONE FAKE?

Kenyans take to social media on phone switch-off

Posted by admin on Thursday, September 27, 2012 · Leave a Comment 

Kenyans on Wednesday took to social media platforms with hilarious comments on the expected switching off of counterfeit handsets at the end of this week by the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK).

The communications regulator is on Sunday expected to switch off thousands of counterfeit handsets countrywide.

After a press conference today where mobile phone operators committed to blacklist counterfeits, Kenyans started various discussions on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, making fun of those with fake handsets.

On the Twitter platform social media users commented on the upcoming switch off using the #LazimaItazimwa (it will be switched off) hash tag with similar discussions going on Facebook and other platforms.

It is not clear who started the Twitter hash tag which seems to have been created after the press conference.

However, by 10 am. the platforms were alive with the discussions.

“We are determined to completely eradicate the menace of counterfeit phones in the market…we are not going to renege on this,” said Francis Wangusi, the director-general CCK during the press conference.

The communications regulator estimates that about 2.5 million handsets in the Kenyan market are fake and the move to switch them off is expected to force those individuals with the counterfeits to buy authenticated ones.

“Kama vibration ya simu iko louder kushinda ringtone yake #LazimaItazimwa (If the vibration of your phone is louder than the ringtone, it will be switched off),” said Mahatma Banghi on Twitter using the handle @msale.

Hellen Keara using the handle @HellenKeara retweeted a tweet by @Qruiser that read, “Kama simu yako ina G3 instead of 3G #LazimaItazimwa (if your phone has G3 (an old type of a rifle) instead of 3G it will be switched off)”

Mobile phone operators such as Safaricom and Orange have been running promotions as they seek to cash in on while helping those who have been using fake handsets.

Source: Business Daily Africa