Counterfeit mobiles ‘cost $6 billion a year’

Black market sales of counterfeit and substandard mobile phones are a US$6 billion a year problem, says a new report into the global counterfeit phone market.  Research from the Mobile Manufacturers Forum (MMF) says around 148 million counterfeit or substandard mobile phones were sold worldwide in 2013, mostly in developing countries.  “They were sold through visible retail sites, unofficial retail outlets, online auction websites and in local black markets,” said MMF secretary general Michael Milligan. “With the average knock-off phone selling for around US$45, our conservative estimate of US$6 billion in illegal sales represents a massive financial loss for governments and the mobile phone industry. “Governments can combat the growing counterfeit phone problem with new technology which can identify substandard devices on the mobile network and permanently block users who don’t change to a genuine product.”

http://www.itwire.com/your-it-news/mobility/63327-counterfeit-mobiles-%E2%80%98cost-$6-billion-a-year%E2%80%99