JEDDAH, 12 August 2006 — In a fight to curb an increase in the black market sale of cell phones and prepaid telephone cards, Saudi telecom companies have embarked on a major operation to catch people involved in the illegal trade.
One of the main mechanisms that telecom companies are set to use in the next few days includes the deployment of telecom company staff at cell phone markets across the Kingdom. The secret observers will be keeping an eye out for anyone illegally selling cell phones and prepaid cards.
The decision to fight the illegal sales follows the recent arrest of 40 people of different nationalities who were selling cell phones and prepaid Sawa and Mobily cards without official documentation.
Teams including officials from the Jeddah municipality, the police and the Passport Department raided a number of areas in Jeddah where foreign workers were reported to be selling illegal and stolen cell phones. Large quantities of cell phones were seized with the 40 people that were arrested.
According to statistics, the demand for cell phones and prepaid cards has grown enormously in recent years. As a result illegal markets have mushroomed across the Kingdom where street peddlers loiter close to genuine cell phone shops.
Statistics have also shown that the illegal trade in cell phones is immensely profitable and has caused companies huge losses and even resulted in the closure of many cell phone shops.
