People planning to buy an iPad online might want to wait until next month before doing so, because the National Communications Commission said the coveted Apple product may not have received the proper Taiwanese certification for radio frequency devices.
Cheng Chuan-ping (鄭泉泙), director of the commission’s Northern Regulatory Department, said that the department is in charge of inspections every month at retail stores as well as online auction sites.
If a product is found without a certification issued by the commission, the vendors will be fined and ordered to pull the item from shelves immediately.
“Article 49 of the Telecommunications Act [電信法] states that no controlled telecommunications radio frequency device shall be manufactured, imported, sold or publicly displayed unless it has received approval and recognition of inspection,” Cheng said, adding that violators would be fined between NT$30,000 and NT$500,000.
Cheng said the commission would only examine the wireless modems in the iPad, which must be certified by agencies approved by the commission.
“The government must safeguard the electromagnetic waves and protect consumers’ rights,” Cheng said of the importance of certification.
Some popular online auction sites, including Ruten and Yahoo-Kimo, began receiving official notifications from the commission in July about reports of uncertified iPads being sold on their sites. Last month, both were told to remove iPads from their sites within three days.
Despite the ban, some retailers at the Kuanghua Market (光華商場) in Taipei — the city’s Mecca for computers and communications products — have already put up signs saying they sell iPad-related products.
Local media reported that Apple’s tablet computer could be launched in Taiwan next month. Aside from authorized Apple retail stores, the nation’s telecoms carriers are also planning to bundle the product with different rate plans.
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