Mexican government asks Samsung to not block phones imported illegally

It has been reported that Motorola and ZTE started bricking illegally imported phones remotely, stopping consumers from using phones they bought in Mexico. Later, Samsung announced that it would block such illegally imported smartphones. Such phones can affect the quality of the service and can pose problems with validating the warranty terms. The government of Mexico recently published a press release and asked smartphone brands not to block phones as people would be left without phones even after spending money on them.

The government has asked smartphone brands to form a working group in which the agencies, brands, and other partners can identify measures to face the challenges posed by the smartphone gray market while safeguarding the rights of consumers at all times. Mexico's Federal Consumer Protection Agency (PROFECO) and the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) will run awareness campaigns to explain why illegally imported phones can cause issues.

According to reports from the local media, at least one out of five phones in Mexico is sold via the gray market. So, it has become challenging for the South Korean firm to do fair business in the country. There are no official records as to how many such phones are being used in Mexico.