Worten and Continente Modelo fined for selling illegal equipment

The National Communications Authority (Anacom) has imposed fines of 515 thousand euros on Modelo Continente and Worten for selling radio equipment that does not comply with legal requirements, the regulator announced this Wednesday.

“Anacom imposed fines on Modelo Continente and Worten totaling more than half a million euros (515 thousand euros) for the sale of radio equipment that did not comply with legal requirements. In both cases, additional sanctions were also applied for losses to the state due to non-conforming equipment,” the regulator said in a statement released this Wednesday.

The document, published this Wednesday, states that Worten was imposed a single fine of 291,250 euros, as well as advisory sanctions, for the loss to the state of 34 models of radio equipment.

In the case of Modelo Continente, the one-time fine amounted to 223,700 euros, and 21 models of radio equipment were also confiscated to the state.

We are talking about the commercialization of equipment due to mistakes of the manufacturer, importer and distributor.

According to Anacom, the manufacturer’s deficiencies included lack of information such as model name, lot number, serial number or other identifying elements, manufacturer’s name, indication of contact person, lack of instructions or information in Portuguese, lack of information on frequency bands or transmitted RF power or European Union (EU) declarations of conformity.

In this sense, the regulator adds that upon requests it was not provided with complete technical documentation or copies of the relevant EU declarations of conformity.

“And also sells as a distributor 19 models of radio equipment in the case of Worten and 27 in the case of Modelo Continente”, which did not contain the CE marking, instructions and safety information in Portuguese, model name, lot number, serial number or other identifying elements or importer’s name.

Anacom argues that the lack of this type of information “penalizes consumers in several ways.”

The regulator considers that the lack of documentation or identification may jeopardize the correct use of the equipment, make it difficult to monitor the equipment’s compliance with applicable standards relating to health protection and electromagnetic compatibility, make contact impossible if the products are faulty or do not comply with the levels of safety in use required in Europe.