Samsung Electronic Mexico announced on October 10 that they would block smartphones purchased from the gray market in the country and activated as of September 21. South Korean company He is not the first person to take this measure Motorola and ZTE are also on Mexican soil as they announced that their devices were blocked. Now Samsung has stepped back.

In an official statement, the South Korean giant announced: suspended blocking of smartphones purchased on the gray market. They also claim they are willing to work with government agencies to find a solution.

Samsung will fulfill Profeco’s request and suspend blocking of smartphones

After many users reported that they received blocking notices on their smartphones, a debate that has not stopped in Mexico started in recent days: Samsung and Motorola started blocking smartphones purchased from the gray market. a market that generally offers attractive prices on mobile devices, sometimes even cheaper than on the brands’ official channels. This market is not technically illegal, but at the same time, devices purchased through gray market and unofficial channels may not comply with national regulations as they are not approved. In other words, risk This is when a smartphone purchased from the gray market does not work 100% correctly or some of its features cannot be used.

The gray market, of course, also affects the sales of brands and their official channels, so some brands have begun to take measures to combat it. Samsung, Motorola and ZTE began blocking smartphones purchased in this market. Given this, Mexican consumer protection agency Profeco, together with the Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT), They asked the brands to lift the blockade your smartphones. According to Profeco’s statement:

PROFECO and IFT call for the immediate suspension of mobile phone blocking. Manufacturers are invited to be part of a working group […]In order to identify measures and implement actions to find solutions to the challenges posed by the gray market, always protecting the rights of users and consumers.

In line with the request of Samsung, Profeco and IFT, They will unblock smartphones from the gray market. They say the company’s intention is to join this joint effort, together with authorities and other interested parties, to find a solution to “the problem posed by the gray market in Mexico.”

What will happen to smartphones that are already blocked?

Samsung will no longer lock phones purchased from the gray market, but this story is not over yet. Smartphone manufacturers, together with relevant government agencies, They will need to find a solution Which is in the best interest of the consumer and at the same time satisfactory to all parties. As we mentioned a few lines ago, the gray market is not technically illegal, but Profeco recommends the use of approved devices to guarantee their correct functioning in the country.

Regarding currently blocked smartphones, Motorola assured Forbes Mexico: will re-enable devices that have already been blocked In a statement to the media, the brand said that since it was acquired on the gray market: “Given that the user is always at the center of our strategy, at Motorola we will enable the use of unregulated devices in the coming days.” In the case of Samsung, the manufacturer declared to Forbes Mexico that “currently [reactivar los smartphones que habían bloqueado] “This is not something we define, it is a decision that is evaluated.” The company assured that when it receives news about the issue, it will publish it on its official channels.

More information | SAMSUNG

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