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Unbranded Chinese Phones' Days Numbered
Techtree News Staff, Apr 03, 2009 1812 hrs ISTCellcos to block access to IMEI-less handsets
Indian cellcos are on a mass effort to clamp down on users of as many illegal Chinese phones as they can. The companies seem to have agreed on a 10-day deadline to flush out as many illegal, IMEI-less handsets out there.
The move comes after the DoT (Department of Telecommunications) sent a directive to the COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India) requesting them to block access to illegal handset that either posses no IMEI number or have 15 digit ones. Legal IMEI are 16 digits long and are unique in nature. This also means that no two cellphones should have the same IMEI. This specialty of IMEI numbers was a helpful means to track calls and monitor illegal activities of a particular cellphone irrespective of the SIM card being used. However, without IMEI, tracking of phones has become an issue and along with it, brings a grave security threat. In many cases, more than 1000 Chinese handsets have been known to have shared the same IMEI number, according to The Times of India.
The cellcos on their part are on a mission to alert users with such handsets by sending them SMS and even calling them up to make them aware of the problems these handsets pose. We contacted a Vodafone spokesperson who has confirmed that efforts are currently on to reach out to as many customers out there and inform them about the directive and the impending blockage. While that certainly is a good move, it remains to be seen how effective this turns out to be. The companies also seem to have missed many handsets. But then, that's excusable considering the sheer number of such handsets in circulation. What needs to be done here is an iron fist policy banning the import and use of such handsets in the first place instead of measures like these, which seems like a last-ditch, desperate move.
The move comes after the DoT (Department of Telecommunications) sent a directive to the COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India) requesting them to block access to illegal handset that either posses no IMEI number or have 15 digit ones. Legal IMEI are 16 digits long and are unique in nature. This also means that no two cellphones should have the same IMEI. This specialty of IMEI numbers was a helpful means to track calls and monitor illegal activities of a particular cellphone irrespective of the SIM card being used. However, without IMEI, tracking of phones has become an issue and along with it, brings a grave security threat. In many cases, more than 1000 Chinese handsets have been known to have shared the same IMEI number, according to The Times of India.
The cellcos on their part are on a mission to alert users with such handsets by sending them SMS and even calling them up to make them aware of the problems these handsets pose. We contacted a Vodafone spokesperson who has confirmed that efforts are currently on to reach out to as many customers out there and inform them about the directive and the impending blockage. While that certainly is a good move, it remains to be seen how effective this turns out to be. The companies also seem to have missed many handsets. But then, that's excusable considering the sheer number of such handsets in circulation. What needs to be done here is an iron fist policy banning the import and use of such handsets in the first place instead of measures like these, which seems like a last-ditch, desperate move.
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(11) Comments
hemant morya
,lucknbow, on Dec 07, 2009 01:19 PM
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manish jain
,delhi., on Dec 01, 2009 05:02 PM
David
,Secunderabad, on Apr 08, 2009 09:47 PM
jayanth
,bangalore, on Apr 06, 2009 08:00 PM
Prasanna
,Mumbai, on Apr 03, 2009 07:25 PM
Rohit
,Bhubaneswar, on Apr 06, 2009 08:29 AM
Yogi
,Bangalore, on Apr 06, 2009 02:59 PM
ashwin
,mumbai, on Apr 04, 2009 09:26 AM
baskey
,BHUBANESWAR, on Apr 04, 2009 07:15 AM
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