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29 March 2024

27,600 unlicensed telecom devices seized

Published
By Staff

The UAE’s Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) on Wednesday said that it confiscated more than 27,600 unlicensed devices during the raids and also warned sellers that it could suspend their licences in future.

The regulatory body said in a statement that these raids were aimed at protecting the country’s telecommunications market from the unsupported telecom devices which are non-compliant with the specifications. TRA handed over these unlicensed products to Dubai Economic Department.

Ahmad Al Shamsi, Director of Type Approval in the TRA, said TRA is moving forward in the regulatory campaigns to reduce the increasing number of unauthorised telecommunication devices. This is achieved by refining the capacities and developing the skills of inspectors through training courses; hence, controlling the telecommunications market in the country through developing effective inspection and education programs along with on ground presence of inspection teams.

The campaigns carried out by the TRA during the first half of the year resulted in the confiscation of over 35,000 sets including multiple and different types of unauthorised devices. In addition, Al Shamsi emphasised on the seriousness of the spread of such devices in the telecommunications market since technical problems may disrupt the telecommunication networks causing, for example, frequency interference affecting the telecommunication services’ subscribers.

Majid Sultan Al Mesmar, Deputy Director General of the telecommunications sector in the TRA, said the prominent role played by the strategic partners of the TRA in its support for the formation of a competitive digital regulatory environment, which is safe, sustainable and a global leader in the telecommunications and information technology sectors within the UAE.

In the past two years, the TRA promoted frameworks of close coordination and joint efforts with strategic partners, led by local economic departments in all of the Emirates with the objective of consumer protection in the first place where the TRA is intending, in cooperation with them, to carry out regulatory campaigns in the area of telecommunications gadget sales and take action to prevent the spread and use of unauthorised devices through the adoption of standard and international specifications for the registration of local and international manufacturers, licensed operators, and companies importing telecommunications devices. This is in addition to issuing warnings or imposing fines that may reach in some cases to license suspension.