Combating Counterfeit and
Substandard ICT Devices
(Geneva, Switzerland, 17-18 November 2014)
United Arab Emirates Experience
Ahmad Alshamsi
Manager Type Approval, UAE TRA
Ahmad.alshamsi@tra.gov.ae
Geneva, Switzerland, 17-18 November 2014
presentation Topics
Concerns
Challenges
Experience and best practices
Past Cases
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Defining the main Concerns
In order to better understanding what
is the problem and how we could set
our plan to control it and finding the
best solutions, we started with defining
the problems and concerns:
Government
Consumer
Business
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Defining the main Concerns
Concerns of the Government

The telecom sector and how to maintain it

The high levels of hazardous threatening
consumers and the environment

The protection of Telecom equipment's market
from counterfeit & prohibited equipment's

The security and quality of service for users

The negative effects on the economy
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Defining the main Concerns
Concerns of the Consumers


Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned
about the privacy of their personal information.
Significant health and safety risks.
Concerns of the Manufacturers


Brand value and firm reputation
Revenue from new products to cover the research
and development costs
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Challenges
As per the TRA study 2012 about how
to Improving efforts to combat
counterfeiting and piracy, we found
many challenges, divided to :

Internal Challenges.

External challenges.
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Internal Challenges
challenges to improve the enforcement
and finding ways to enhance it.

Development of strong and effective
policies and procedures to combat
illegal issues.

Co-operation with industry and among
governments

Continuance Development of the
enforcement team
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External Challenges
challenges we are facing from out side
world:
public awareness of counterfeiting issues.

counterfeit devices dose the job just as well as
genuine devices.

consumers with overconfident in their ability to
recognize counterfeit devices.
Online stores, became active distribution
channel for counterfeit products.
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External Challenges
Continuance changes in how to deliver
counterfeit devices to the market .
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Experience and best practices
We developed the TRA strategic plan to
combat counterfeit and substandard ICT
products focused on 3 main areas:

TRA regulations enforcement.

Consumer right

Co-operation with industry
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TRA initiatives

TRA Awareness campaign.

Disconnect the fake and duplicate
IMEI

Consumer Right
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TRA initiatives
Disconnect the fake and duplicate IMEI
 On 6 September, TRA issued directive 7 of 2011 “
Duplicate IMEIS”, to block all fake and duplicate
IMEI from the GSM network in the UAE.
 More then 100,000 devices with fake or duplicate
IMEI have been disconnected from the service
providers network
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TRA initiatives
Disconnect the fake and duplicate IMEI
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TRA initiatives
TRA Awareness campaign.

Based on our surveys, consumers are
welling to know more about counterfeit.

In 2013, 5 main awareness campaign
targeting consumers and dealers.

Today, the awareness campaigns about
the counterfeit products became part of
the UAE events program.
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TRA initiatives
TRA Awareness campaign.
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TRA initiatives
Consumer right
Educate consumers about there right
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Conclusions and Recommendations
 Raising awareness in the community is
job of government, privet sector and
consumers to raise awareness.
Governments should work together
through trade agreements to strength IP
production
Industry should support governments
efforts to combat counterfeiting
More initiatives from industry to help
consumers
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United Arab Emirates Experience
Thank you
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