Indian cellcos have started informing their customers who are using illegal handsets with no or spoofed IMEIs that their connections will soon be disconnected. Earlier this year, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had asked operators to disconnect services to such handsets because they might pose a security threat. For the uninitiated, every GSM mobile phone comes with a unique IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Number) - except for the illegal, low-cost, mostly unbranded Chinese phones, most of which have spoofed IMEIs or none at all. It is a 15-digit number that appears on the operator's network when a call is made. Using IMEI, cellcos can track phones and block or unblock them for security reasons or even if your phone is stolen. This essentially makes handsets useless for the thief as a non-working phone is just a brick. You can find out your IMEI number by pressing the *#06# keys on your phone.
The DoT had asked the companies to equip their systems with EIRs (Equipment Identity Registers) that allows them to check if calls are made from legal, genuine handsets; thus, they can gradually weed out illegal handsets. The companies have now started sending text alerts to consumers using such handsets, informing them that the IMEI-less phones would be denied access to their networks.
It is, however, unlikely that all illegal handsets will be blocked by the March 31 deadline that the DoT had given. The main reason being the extra load that the screening of each of the phones for their IMEI number would put on the networks; this is the biggest concern for cellcos at the moment, and has been the general sentiment from what our sources say. A major telecom operator is asking for more time to implement the directive because the process of IMEI identification is time-consuming. We are still awaiting a response from Airtel, whom we have contacted regarding this.
Add this to the fact that there are various combinations of illegal IMEI numbers that makes the blocking process harder than it sounds.
The Indian Cellular Association (ICA) has on its part requested the Government to snap the supply of illegal handsets at the point of import, which at the moment seems to be most cost-effective and sensible way to deal with the entire problem.
Are you using a phone with no IMEI? If yes, have you received any communication from your operator requesting you to change to a "legal" handset?
Source: Techtree.com
The DoT had asked the companies to equip their systems with EIRs (Equipment Identity Registers) that allows them to check if calls are made from legal, genuine handsets; thus, they can gradually weed out illegal handsets. The companies have now started sending text alerts to consumers using such handsets, informing them that the IMEI-less phones would be denied access to their networks.
It is, however, unlikely that all illegal handsets will be blocked by the March 31 deadline that the DoT had given. The main reason being the extra load that the screening of each of the phones for their IMEI number would put on the networks; this is the biggest concern for cellcos at the moment, and has been the general sentiment from what our sources say. A major telecom operator is asking for more time to implement the directive because the process of IMEI identification is time-consuming. We are still awaiting a response from Airtel, whom we have contacted regarding this.
Add this to the fact that there are various combinations of illegal IMEI numbers that makes the blocking process harder than it sounds.
The Indian Cellular Association (ICA) has on its part requested the Government to snap the supply of illegal handsets at the point of import, which at the moment seems to be most cost-effective and sensible way to deal with the entire problem.
Are you using a phone with no IMEI? If yes, have you received any communication from your operator requesting you to change to a "legal" handset?
Source: Techtree.com
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