Orange Unveils up to 60% Discount on Original Handsets as CCK Deadline Nears

Orange has today launched a genuine mobile handsets campaign dubbed Chagua Original through which subscribers will be able to purchase 3G-enabled devices at discounted prices of up to 60 per cent.

During the campaign period subscribers purchasing smartphones or 3G devices at all Orange shops will also benefit from one month free internet access as well as free access to Wikipedia and Facebook.

The devices that form part of the Chagua Original promotion range in prices from Kshs 599 (down from the earlier price of Kshs 999) for the ZTE S309 handset to the ZTE San Francisco retailing at Kshs 7,999 (down from Kshs 9,999). Also on offer is the recently launched Huawei Gaga which goes for Kshs 5,999 (instead of Kshs 8,799).

The Chagua Original promotion comes just a month ahead of the government’s move to switch-off all counterfeit devices on all of the country’s four mobile networks by September 30 this year.

The telecoms industry regulator Communications Commission of Kenya’s (CCK) has recently announced that all devices with non-authentic Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers would be disconnected from networks by September 30.

The IMEI number – the 15-digit code that every mobile handset is always assigned upon manufacture by the vendor – can be obtained by dialing *#06# or printed under battery for some models.

When say a subscriber loses a handset, the subscriber can call the mobile network provider and instruct them to blacklist the phone using its IMEI number, thereby rendering the phone useless on that particular network as well as other networks, whether the SIM is changed or not.

To check if a phone is counterfeit, any user can send its phone IMEI number to 1555, and will automatically receive an answer. The CCK campaign, which began last week, therefore aims to guard against mobile phone theft as well entry of substandard devices into the country.