Illegal cell phone imports in Russia drop drastically [Mon Dec 11, 11:53AM]

According to Alexander Onishchuk, president of RATEK, the share of illegally imported cell phones in Russia fell to a mere 10-20% of total mobile handset imports in 2006, down from 90% in 2005, reports Cellular News.

Meaning the campaign that Russian law enforcement bodies started against illegal mobile handset imports in mid-2005 is beginning to pay off.

Following the start of the campaign, most Russian mobile handset retailers started importing mobile handsets directly instead of using intermediaries.

RATEK stands for the Association of Trading Companies and Manufacturers of Consumer Electronic and Computer Equipment.