New Zealand mobile networks 'blacklist' Samsung Galaxy Note 7
The New Zealand telecommunications industry has announced a complete "blacklisting" of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, with the smartphone to be blocked across all mobile networks as of November 18.
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The blacklisting is being put in place in coordination with Samsung as a safety measure after handsets began catching fire several months ago, according to New Zealand Telecommunications Forum (TCF) CEO Geoff Thorn.
"Numerous attempts by all providers have been made to contact owners and ask them to bring the phones in for replacement or refund. This action should further aid the return of the remaining handsets," Thorn said.
"Anyone who is still in possession of a Samsung Note 7, please return it to your service provider as soon as possible."
Consumers can check their handset's unique IMEI number on the TCF website to see whether their phone has been blocked.
Samsung and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a global recall of the smartphone in September, following 92 initial reported incidents in the United States where the batteries overheated and caught fire.
Replacement Note 7s that were said to be safe were then issued to customers, but last month their batteries began exploding and catching fire too.
APAC airlines Air New Zealand, Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar, Tigerair, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, Hong Kong Airlines, HK Express, AirAsia, Etihad Airways, and Emirates were among those that last month began enforcing a total ban of the smartphone on all flights, citing potential fire risk.
The US Department of Transportation also banned the Note 7 on US flights last month.
While Samsung is currently undergoing a worldwide recall of 2.5 million handsets, some mail services are refusing to carry Note 7 returns.
Meanwhile, Samsung is planning the next iteration of its flagship smartphone, with South Korean buyers to get it for half price if they bought the Galaxy Note 7.
Samsung's third-quarter mobile division profit plummeted by 96 percent year-on-year and 98 percent quarter-on-quarter thanks to the Note 7 disaster, down to just 0.1 trillion won.
The Korean giant said it is expecting a turnaround with the launch of the Galaxy Note 8 next year, as well as the continuing rollout of Samsung Pay.