PNG Customs and ICT industry regulator, National Information and Communication Technology Authority, issued the stern warning as a result of growing illegal and mainly cheap and substandard radiocommunication apparatus and devices.
The organisations noted those devices were sourced mainly from the Asia region that were flooding shops and outlets in Papua New Guinea.
In a statement, NICTA and PNG Customs said: “These unapproved ICT apparatus and devices are mainly of low quality and are not durable. The general public are urged to refrain from buying them or report to Customs or NICTA those involved in the import, sale or supply of the illegal merchandise.
“Customs officers and NICTA inspectors will step up presence and surveillance at the ports of entry and border areas of the country. It has become increasingly clear that businesses and dealers are not complying with or have been ignoring existing laws and standards for the import, sale or distribution of ICT merchandise in the country.”
Under the National ICT Act 2009 offenders face a fine of K 10,000 for an offence committed or K10,000 per day for each day of non-compliance. The updated “type approved” listing of ICT Apparatus and Authorised Dealers can be obtained from the NICTA website on http://www.nicta.gov.pg.
All importers of ICT merchandise were reminded that it is an indictable offence to import, use, sell, supply or possess unapproved radiocommunication appratus that operate outside of the terms and conditions of the NICTA approved licences under the PNG spectrum plan.
These included items such as transitor radios and car stereos receiving signals outside of the approved bandwith of 88.0 MHz and 108.0 MHz, which werenot the “type approved” and would be confiscated and destroyed. Used car importers would not be spared and cars installed with unapproved radio bandwidths would have the systems removed.
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