The Hindu Business Line : Import of mobile handsets without IMEI number banned

via The Hindu Business Line : Import of mobile handsets without IMEI number banned.

Huge impact on grey market phones.

Our Bureau

New Delhi, June 17 In a move that could signal the end of grey market mobile phones, the Government on Wednesday banned import of all handsets without the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.

IMEI is a unique 15-digit code that identifies a mobile. It prevents the use of stolen handsets for making calls and allows security agencies to track down a specific user. However, a majority of handsets sold in the grey market do not come with the IMEI, which has is of concern for security agencies.

The Government move to ban handsets without the code will hit a number of Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers that were flooding cheap handsets in the grey market. The move will have no impact on the 25 million cellular users who already have bought a handset without IMEI. The ban is applicable only on new handsets being imported into the country.

The Director-General of Foreign Trade issued the notification on Wednesday imposing the ban with immediate effect.

Welcoming the decision, Mr Pankaj Mohindroo, President, Indian Cellular Association, said, “This is a step in the right direction to throttle handset grey market. However, much more needs to be done to tackle this menace. We are working with the Government in this regard.”

To protect consumers who have already bought handsets without the IMEI number, the Cellular Operators Association of India has tied up with Mobile Standard Alliance of India to set up 1,600 retail outlets across the country to provide the IMEI number on handsets without one. It is estimated that there are 25 million subscribers across the country using handsets without the IMEI number. Concerned over the national security, the Department of Telecom had earlier asked operators to disconnect services to handsets that do not have the IMEI number by April 15. However, the COAI, representing the GSM industry, has developed a software that will provide the unique number to instruments that do not have it.

The solution is being implemented with the approval of the DoT and the security agencies. Subscribers who do not avail themselves of this facility will be disconnected by the operators after June 30.

Related stories at

• http://efytimes.com/efytimes/fullnewsxml.asp?edid=35220
• http://www.ciol.com/technology/mobility/news-reports/india-bans-mobile-handsets-without-imei/18609121163/0/
• http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Govt-bans-import-of-Chinese-mobiles/articleshow/4668458.cms

16m Chinese mobiles get new life

5 May, 2009, 1414 hrs IST,TNN

NEW DELHI: The government has given a go-ahead to GSM operators to provide a new unique identification number to over 16 million China-made mobile phones in the country.Users of these handsets, which don’t have the 15-digit International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, will have to shell out about Rs 180 to obtain the number. The department of telecom (DoT) had earlier asked telecom operators to bar services to phones without the IMEI number, citing security reasons. Many handsets assembled locally or imported from China don’t have IMEI numbers that allow security agencies to trace the location of the phone user. The DoT had proposed to bar all mobile phones without IMEI numbers after investigations into last year’s bomb blasts revealed that mobile phones used by terrorists didn’t bear valid IMEI numbers. But now with a new software, developed by GSM operators’ body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and Mobile Standards Alliance of India, users of such handsets could get genuine IMEI numbers and continue to receive telecom services. They will have to visit any of the 1600 centres being set up by COAI across the country to get the software installed on their phones. The first 10 such centres became operational in Delhi on Monday and the remaining will be ready in a phased manner. “We believe that most of these handsets are owned by the masses. Thus, it would be unfair and unjust to disconnect such customers as they have bought these handsets unknowingly,” COAI director general TV Ramachandran said. The association has obtained the IMEI numbers from GSMA, the global body that allocates these numbers.