The communication authority has announced to ban non-tax compliant phones starting January 2025. These measures targets counterfeit and illegal imported devices aiming to improve tax compliance and support government revenue collection efforts. Devices that have not paid the imported tax or lack KEBS quality certification will likely be affected. The CA will use DMS to identify non-compliant devices by tracking their unique identifiers such as IMEI numbers, blocking unregistered devices from connecting to local network.

This policy will affect numerous mobile users, especially those who unknowingly purchased unlicensed or counterfeit devices, so it’s advised for consumers to verify their phone compliance status.