The National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) Action Plan to Combat Piracy (PACP) removed more than 1.5 million irregular telecommunications equipment from the market in the first half of 2021. The numbers are available on the new PACP Dashboard, which publishes the results of actions against piracy on Anatel’s internet portal. In this area, the results of the PACP from the year 2020 are published, considering the inspection actions already completed. A quick search on the number of products by type; those withdrawn from the market;
and the estimated value of retained products, among others. Since 2020, Anatel has removed 1.96 million pieces of equipment from circulation in specific actions against piracy. The growth in seizures, sealings, and retention of irregular equipment in 2021 is due to the intensification of joint actions with the Federal Revenue. According to the Agency, the intelligence work and partnerships with other bodies involved with the PACP will continue throughout the second half of the year, and new strategies are being studied to mitigate piracy in telecommunications products in the country. Irregular equipment – The majority of seizures in 2021, 349 thousand units, are equipment considered to be radiation restricted (headphones, wireless keyboards, speakers, smartwatches, wireless mouse, and microphones, among others). Then, cell phones and accessories (343 thousand), battery chargers (322thousand), and SmartTV Boxes (239 thousand) were withdrawn from the market.
The main seizures of irregular products occurred in ports, airports, postal, and courier distribution centers, with 1.2 million. About 235,000 products were withdrawn from the market during inspections carried out in companies selling telecom equipment. Part of the seized products is being regularized by importers, who have sought out the Designated Certifying Bodies (OCD) and laboratories for approval of the products in accordance with Brazilian regulations. After regularization, they can be released and returned to the market. When the impossibility of regularization is verified, the object can be returned to the origin or given forfeiture after the due legal process, coordinated by the Federal Revenue.
