Irregular cell phones harm citizens, consumers and government revenue, says president of Anatel

As we reported herea Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency) established that companies such as Amazon e Free market will have to remove advertisements from what the regulatory agency classifies as illegal cell phones. Devices without approval issued or accepted by Anatel.

According to Carlos Baigorri, president of Anatel, irregular cell phones harm citizens, consumers and the market, as well as being harmful to government revenue.

“These are taxes that are not paid, it is unfair competition. Jobs are destroyed, companies stop investing in Brazil because of this”said the executive during a press conference held this Friday afternoon (21).

“What we are asking for is the minimum of the minimum (referring to compliance with the law). And we think it is very reasonable for marketplaces to comply with the law and start complying with it”, he added.

15 days for regularization

Companies notified by Anatel have a period of 15 days so that the percentage of advertisements for non-approved devices does not exceed 10%, and they can continue to withdraw advertisements on days after this deadline.

If the company has not implemented the necessary changes, it is categorized as “non-compliant company”being subject to daily fines that start at R$200,000 and can reach millions of dollars,

Irregular websites may go offline

In addition to the imposition of a fine, irregular e-commerces can also go offline, through domain blocking, if they do not comply with what was determined within the deadline. If any platform reached this stage, telecommunications operators would block it by order of Anatel.

The agency mentions that the blockade may occur after 25 days of non-compliance with the precautionary measure.

Amazon has the most irregular ads

According to Anatel, Amazon leads the list of platforms with the most advertisements for devices without approval. A position that also reinforces the popularity of the platform with its marketplace format, in which retailers use Amazon as a showcase to sell their products

The division is as follows:

• Amazon: 51.52% of unapproved cell phones;
• Free market: 42.86% of unapproved cell phones;
• Americanas.com: 22.86% of unapproved cell phones;

The complete list of sites advertising non-approved devices also includes Casas Bahia, but it is classified as “compliant”, as the percentage of irregular devices is below 10%, more precisely 7.79%.

What is a cell phone approved by Anatel?

A Homologation is a series of tests carried out by Anatel on the devices under evaluation. To sell any telecommunications product in Brazil, such as smartphones, tablets and notebooks, manufacturers must submit the products for approval.

The approval process was created by Resolution nº 242/2000. This document details all stages of approval and establishes the issuance of a specific document. The main characteristic of an approved product is the Anatel seal.

This seal is affixed to the body of the device, the battery or the manual. The location of the seal depends on the size of the device.

As you can see in the models above, the seal contains some information:

• H – shows the product certification number;
• A – year of certification issuance;
• F – manufacturer.

Calendar for the application of punishments, in case of non-compliance

• June 21: beginning of the precautionary measure;
• July 6: daily fine of R$200,000;
• July 17: additional daily fine of R$1 million and withdrawal of all cell phone advertisements;
• July 27: daily fine of 6 million and withdrawal of all advertisements;
• July 31: website removed from service.