The Government of India is installing a new structure that will obstruct all services on lost or stolen mobile handsets on any system even if the IMEI number of the smartphone is modified or SIM card is detached. This will surely give a helping hand for the development of mobile anti-theft market in India.
BSNL, the state-run company, has been handed over with the task of running a 6-month pilot plan in Maharashtra from its Pune headquarter to design software and implementation methodology for the new network dubbed as Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR).
The CEIR will target to reduce the number of fake mobile handsets and dampen burglary. It is also anticipated to smooth the progress of law enforcement establishments for lawful interception and safe guard consumer interest, an official report said. “Department of Telecom (DoT) aims to impose CEIR that links to the IMEI record of all mobile operators.
CEIR plays a role of a central system for all network operators to give blacklisted mobile points so that gadgets placed below the mentioned category in 1 network will not operate on the other network, even if the SIM card in the handset is modified, the report said.
IMEI code, an exclusive 15-number serial code of mobile handsets, is given by GSMA, the global market body, and other firms authorized by it. When a mobile handset is lost, the victim is needed to give the IMEI number for tracking of the smartphone. “The burglary of mobile handsets is not just a fiscal loss but also a danger to national security as well as personal life of the individuals,” the report said. The CEIR will be frequently upgraded with IMEI of stolen, lost, or fake smartphones.
The DoT has banned telecom operators from offering service to any mobile handset with counterfeit IMEI code but the operators encounter issue in recognizing smartphones with fake IMEI code.
The CEIR will also assist operators in recognizing smartphones with counterfeit IMEI code since it will have information of smartphone model to which the IMEI has been initially allocated. For now, this project is sure to increase the development of mobile anti-theft market in India
