savramesh 37 Report post Posted July 3, 2009 Press Trust of India / New Delhi July 2, 2009, 18:03 IST Calls made from the mobile handsets without International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number are being rejected by the cellular operators from this week, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. Communication Minister A Raja told Prakash Javadekar (BJP) in a written reply that the directions have been issued to all cellular mobile telephone services (CMTS) and Unified Access Services licensees to make provisions for equipment identification register in their network. The Minister said this would enable networks to reject calls without IMEI or ensure that numbers with all "zeros" are not processed after June 30 this year. Raja also said that the government has prohibited the import of mobile handsets without the IMEI number or with all 'zeros' IMEI with immediate effect. The member had raised the query contending that such mobile handsets posed a serious threat to the country's security as terrorists are mostly found using such phones to escape identification. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KumaarShah 143 Report post Posted July 3, 2009 ^^^ Long overdue measure, but nevertheless very good move for the country's security.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vvinayakpai 26 Report post Posted July 3, 2009 Mere words are not enough. Implementation is the key Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mufaddal 678 Report post Posted July 3, 2009 this is all BS ... Networks are still processing calls from handsets with no imei's or invalid imei's . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gsmsikar 0 Report post Posted July 3, 2009 Press Trust of India / New Delhi July 2, 2009, 18:03 ISTCalls made from the mobile handsets without International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number are being rejected by the cellular operators from this week, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. Communication Minister A Raja told Prakash Javadekar (BJP) in a written reply that the directions have been issued to all cellular mobile telephone services (CMTS) and Unified Access Services licensees to make provisions for equipment identification register in their network. The Minister said this would enable networks to reject calls without IMEI or ensure that numbers with all "zeros" are not processed after June 30 this year. Raja also said that the government has prohibited the import of mobile handsets without the IMEI number or with all 'zeros' IMEI with immediate effect. The member had raised the query contending that such mobile handsets posed a serious threat to the country's security as terrorists are mostly found using such phones to escape identification. what about the millions of handsets which are using same IMEI 11220 in all the china handsets ? will they be blocked also ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
savramesh 37 Report post Posted July 5, 2009 Ban on import of mobiles without unique number The Hindu Sunday, Jul 05, 2009 NEW DELHI: After much delay, the government has finally decided to ban imports of all mobiles without the unique identification number — International Mobile Equipment Identity — and asked all operators to stop service to subscribers who are using phones without the IMEI number. Security agencies have been demanding the ban on mobile phones without the 15-digit IMEI number in view of the increased threat perception. For, it is difficult to track down such handsets. It was revealed that terrorists behind attacks were using mobile phones without IMEI numbers. The IMEI number prevents the use of stolen handsets for making calls. While the Director-General of Foreign Trade has issued the notification imposing the ban on import of mobile handsets without the IMEI number, the Department of Telecommunications has told all mobile operators to stop service to subscribers who are using such handsets. Initially, the mobile operators opposed the move fearing loss of subscriber base and revenue, but later sought time so that mobile phones without the IEMI number could be given unique identification numbers. However, the government has decided not to give any further extension; as a result, the operators have started disconnecting such phones from their network. As per industry estimates, over 2.5 crore phones without the IMEI number, mostly Chinese and Taiwanese-made cheap handsets supplied from grey markets, are in operation in India. The ban will hit Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers, whose cheap handsets have been flooding the Indian grey market and have posed a threat to the national security and caused revenue loss to the government. To help those subscribers having handsets without the IMEI number, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), representing GSM operators, has developed software that will provide unique numbers for all such handsets. The software has been approved by the security agencies and the DoT. The COAI and the Mobile Standard Alliance have decided to set up outlets to help mobile phone users get the IMEI number for their handsets and stop them from going non-functional. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
