CASHING IN ON DEADLINES THE KENYAN WAY.

          CASHING IN ON DEADLINES THE

              KENYAN WAY.

 

During my leisure time  yesterday, i got a chance to go through yesterdays  Nation newspaper and i could not fail to notice the high number of advertisements in the inside pages .On a day like tuesday i have not seen so many adverts like yesterday and especially mobile phones adverts.One thing was clear all the adverts were emphasizing originality of the phones an his got me thinking oh my GOD!,the deadline is here,four days to go  and so mobile phone dealers  and mobile phone subscriber companies like safari com and orange are taking advantage  of the craze and enticing customers  to buy their products which are `original`these got me thinking what  makes a device original?The good old wikipedia came in handy in understanding of original and i got the definition of the term originality an original work is one not received from others nor one copied based on the work of others.. It is a work created with a unique style and substance. The term "originality" is often applied as a compliment to the creativity of artists, writers, and thinkers.s  ,in our case an original phone is a phone created  with unique style  and substance  so this makes it unique and easy to distinguish from the rest of other phones. while a fake or `china `mobile phone as they are commonly referred to is a replica of the original phone and a  replica is an exact reproduction executed by the original maker  or a copy or reproduction, especially one on a scale smaller than the original ^.A replica is a copy closely resembling the original concerning its shape and appearance. An inverted replica complements the original.

One of the many reasons that  seems to  make CCK(Communications Commission of Kenya) is that fake mobile devices are making it very difficult for policemen to conduct their work  as it is not easy to trace  the owner of a  fake phone as  it doesn't have an IMEI(international Mobile Equipment Identity) number or shares an IMEI numberwith another device  and so  one cannot tell the true owner of the mobile device.

The International Mobile Equipment Identity or IMEI is a number, usually unique, to identify  (i.e., GSM, UMTS and LTE) and iDEN mobile phones, as well as some satellite phones. It is usually found printed inside the battery compartment of the phone. It can also be displayed on the screen of the phone by entering *#06# into the keypad on most phones.
The IMEI number is used by a GSM network to identify valid devices and therefore can be used for stopping a stolen phone from accessing that network. For example, if a mobile phone is stolen, the owner can call his or her network provider and instruct them to "blacklist" the phone using its IMEI number. This renders the phone useless on that network and sometimes other networks too, whether or not the phone's SIM is changed.
The IMEI is only used for identifying the device and has no permanent or semi-permanent relation to the subscriber. Instead, the subscriber is identified by transmission of an IMSI number, which is stored on a SIM card that can (in theory) be transferred to any handset. However, many network and security features are enabled by knowing the current device being used by a subscriber.

Another factor that appears to be making CCk crack down on these devices is that many importers of these unregistered or  `fake` phones do not pay import duty an so the Government is loosing a lot of Tax and therefore the Government   seeks to seal this loophole and make some money as Importers will now import Original phones and people will buy original phone s hence the Government  is a great beneficiary of these  campaign.  

Although the Campaign has only given the option of  Subscribers purchasing Original phones,the Government  could make more money if it allowed the current users of these phones to retain their phones but have special devices installed on their phones and then their  are allocated new IMIE numbers

When India was carrying such a campaign  subscribers with the so called fake phones were allowed to retain their phones  but a special device was installed on their phone and their were issued with new IMIE  numbers.

At a time when Government is facing difficulties having  hard times collecting new revenues for teachers increased salaries this could be an opportunity in waiting.Although CCK may switch of  fake phones Kenyans are clever and crafty people ,with technology at our disposal  this might just be an opportunity for scrupulous crafty phone technicians o make money by reprogramming phone and making them work again ,as te deadline closely approaches lets wait and  whether  CCk and  the Government will make true  their threat  or will extend the  4 day deadline period .