Facilitating a workshop on type approval requirements and procedure for cellular phones, BTA's Technical Services Director, Bathopi Luke said the move was done in the best interest of safety because they (BTA) have a responsibility to protect all the stakeholders, particularly the innocent consumer.
He explained that the use of cellular equipment that is not type-approved and certified by the BTA can be harmful due to electromagnetic radiation (EMF). The phones, which are mostly imitations, can also jeopardise network operations, electronic and other electrical equipment. With 2011 statistics showing that there were about six billion mobile cellular subscriptions in the world and continuing to grow, Luke said as the BTA they cannot ignore the risks posed to the public by the imitations, hence the need for a proper framework to eliminate the negative impacts on the consumer. He stressed that the radiation from these cellular phones, dubbed "fong Kongs" put the public at high risk.
