Cell phone sellers soon must get NTC stickers

Dealers, suppliers and even subscribers who plan to sell mobile phones soon must obtain National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) registration stickers – which regulatory body officials will be the ones to affix – before a transaction is made in a move said to be intended to protect buyers. In a draft memorandum circular, the regulatory body said all prospective sellers, even of second-hand units, would need to go to the NTC and register the unit to be sold, which would then be marked with the NTC registration sticker. The NTC explained that the manufacture, distribution and attachment of the tamper-proof sticker will be done by the NTC to provide assurance that the cellular phone comes from a legitimate owner. "The Commission intends to enhance the existing regulatory measures to prevent market distortion brought about by undocumented cellular phones that results to unprotected consumers and loss of revenue for the government," the draft circular said. It added that the new requirement will discourage suppliers and distributors from underdeclaring the number of units they import. Those who sell mobile phones without the NTC sticker will be fined P5,000 per unit. There will be a one-time registration fee of P75 for each mobile phone regardless of make or model. The NTC circular noted that an earlier memorandum circular (MC 08-08-2004A) already provides for the use of the NTC sticker but that this has yet to followed by mobile phone sellers. The old circular allows mobile phone manufacturers to put the NTC sticker on the unit themselves. "The main difference is that back then the manufacturer is the one who puts the sticker on the cellphone. With the new circular, the sticker will be bought from the NTC and applied by the NTC itself," NTC deputy commissioner Jorge Sarmiento said in an interview. The NTC added that the authorized supplier, distributors, dealers, sellers, and resellers should secure the NTC sticker for cellular phones already in the market for 180 days from the effectivity of the circular. Owners who intend to sell their used mobile phones can secure the NTC sticker by presenting the box of the unit with international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) sticker still on it. The NTC will hold a public hearing on Feb. 27 2007, 10 a.m. at NTC office in Diliman, Quezon City. -GMANews.TV