Data infrastructure constraints have forced the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) to slow down its planned termination of telco services to fake mobile phones, an official has said.

Uganda is postponing its planned action, after its neighbour Kenya has already blocked over one million counterfeit handsets according to that nation’s regulator.

Fake phones can be identified by mobile networks as these devices have duplicate or non-conforming International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers.

UCC public relations specialist, Isaac Kalembe, said his body is not immediately taking action against counterfeit phones in the country as earlier planned, owing to the need to build local data capacity.

He said the regulator had already embarked on a drive to build a data bank as part of efforts to take care of the anticipated large-scale termination of fake phones.

“It is true; we are building a data bank of all the mobile phone gadget. But the stages of implementation will be announced soon,” said Kalembe.

"Our capacity has been small but we are stepping it up to ensure that there is enough capacity to handle the data that we have in the country,” Kalembe said.

He said UCC's major target was to increase capacity, adding that the process of terminating connections of fake mobile phone gadgets would not immediately take off as planned.

“The process will fully take off next year as we are slowly avoiding problems such as crashing of the system and eventually sometime next year we will be moving on steadily to address the issue of fake mobile phones that are at hand.

“We are looking at ensuring that all stakeholders are fully on board so that we move in one direction and avoid diversions that might hamper the whole exercise,” Kalembe said.

Uganda's ICT minister, Nyombi Thembo, said the country could no longer tolerate being used as a ‘dumping ground’ for fake phones.

Thembo also warns consumer from buying fake phones in the country.

“We are in close contact with UCC and making a follow up to their construction of data bank in order to know how to solve problems related to the termination of fake phones, ” said Thembo.