Cellular body urges use of genuine accessories

In the wake of recent reports of Nokia batteries exploding and causing injuries, the Indian Cellular Association (ICA) today urged consumers to use only genuine, company-approved mobile accessories and enhancements.

Nokia, on its part, insisted that its batteries were tested against internationally-recognised quality standards, suggesting that the faulty batteries could be counterfeits.

ICA, in a press statement, reasoned that while nearly nine crore original mobile handsets were sold in India in 2007-08 along with service pack (which includes an original battery), almost 70-75 per cent of the replacement battery market was still dominated by counterfeit batteries. While original batteries cost anywhere between Rs 500 and Rs 700, a counterfeit can be bought for as low as Rs 300. As counterfeits are manufactured in extremely poor conditions with manual welding, poor slitting machines, and non-standard coating material, they lack safety mechanisms rendering them unsafe.

ICA has appealed to the government to lower import duty on batteries which is currently at 34 per cent. Pankaj Mohindroo, national president, ICA, said, "There is an immediate need for the government to intervene and crack down on the malice of counterfeit mobile accessories and batteries to ensure the safety of consumers."

According to ICA estimates, nearly half of the 100,000 mobile stores across the country, which account for the Rs 4.5 crore battery replacement market, sell batteries of cheap quality. For companies such as Nokia, which have been in the line of fire recently for battery overheating issue, fighting the counterfeit battle is an uphill task. It is these counterfeits, say experts, that have caused a stir in the market with explosions.

D Shivakumar, vice-president and managing director, Nokia India, said, "Nokia only uses reputable, high quality battery suppliers and regularly assesses their production sites to ensure that appropriate quality systems are in place."

The amount of charge held by a battery gradually decreases due to usage, ageing and should be replaced once the back up of the battery falls below 50 per cent. The typical life span of a lithium-ion battery is 2-3 years under normal use. Over the years, the quality and composition of batteries have evolved and the new generation lithium-ion batteries are more environment-friendly than the earlier generation nickel batteries.

All genuine manufacturers and handset companies have originality marks on their products such as a hologram and consumers should always be vigilant and check such things before buying a battery or any mobile accessory, the ICA said.

"A mobile is as safe as any other consumer electronic device used at home. However, consumers need to be mindful and should follow steps advised by the manufacturer to ensure safety of their cell phones and longevity of the batteries," added T V Ramachandran, director general, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).