NTC goes after those who "unlock" phones

The National Telecommunications Commission recently released a new draft memorandum circular that is set to go after phone repair shops that are illegally unblocking mobile phones.

The draft states that mobile phone service centers would be required to secure a permit to be able to unblock mobile phones.

It has also stated that all mobile phone service centers shall keep an inventory of all devices and equipment to be monitored by the NTC.

These service centers are also discouraged from keeping or repairing devices that are illegally acquired.

Violators will have to pay a P5,000 per unit fine and could have their business permit revoked.

Unblocking of mobile phones, a common practice in most phone repair shops, is the removal of the security feature. This allows the user to use more than one SIM (subscriber identity module) card.

For this purpose, many stolen phones end up in many phone repair shops that are either sold as second-hand phones that have been "unlocked."

The draft was finalized after the commission received numerous complaints from mobile phone users whose phones were stolen.

"It's a new measure against those illegally unblocking phones. There are thousands of MPSCs in the country and it's time that they're discourage from selling stolen phones," NTC Commissioner Ronald Solis said.

The NTC has previously tried to curb phone unblocking by locking the 5-digit International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI) code of stolen phones reported to them. Many illegal phone "unlockers" have somehow by-passed this feature. - Jasmin R. Uy