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25 Million handsets without IMEI to be out of service
By siliconindia
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Monday, 06 April 2009, 19:14 IST |
10 Comments
New Delhi: About 25 million handsets or 10 percent of total GSM mobile phone used in the country are likely to be out of service from April 15, as Department of Telecom (DoT) has asked the operators to disconnect cell phones that don't have International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, to ensure national security. IMEI is a 15-digit code that appears on the operator's network whenever a call is made.
Earlier, DoT had set the December 31, 2008 deadline to stop services to handsets without IMEI numbers and later it has been extended to April 15, 2009.
Over the DoT order, one of the leading telecom service providers has started sending out messages to its subscribers for using phones with IMEI number or face disconnection.
According to the analysts, the DoT move is likely to hit the revenue of telecom firms, as phones which have no IMEI numbers are usually low-cost and unbranded and used by low-end subscribers. To get these subscribers back on the network would be a challenge for the telecom providers as they would have to provide these subscribers subsidized or free handsets.
A mobile phone without an IMEI number poses a threat as it cannot be traced by the service providers. An IMEI number prevents the use of stolen handsets for making calls and allows lawful interception to prove the use of a particular device.
The Indian Cellular Association (ICA), the industry body for handset makers, said the government should also impose restrictions at the point of import of mobile devices without IMEI number.
Moreover, there is no central mechanism to prohibit the use of stolen phones. The bulk of grey market phones, predominantly originating from China, do not have genuine IMEI numbers.