TRAI may block stolen mobile phones soon
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Stolen phones could soon be blocked making theft of phones unproductive.
The telecom regulator TRAI is expected to come out with recommendations on how this is to be done by December, said sources.
Currently, while the SIM card of the stolen mobile phone can be blocked, there is no mechanism to block the phone. These recommendations are expected to bring down the increasing incidence of mobile theft in the country.
These recommendations were expected to come this month, but Trai came across a new problem as some people can put duplicate International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), which will make it difficult to track the phone.
IMEI is a unique 15-digit code that comes with every GSM mobile and helps to uniquely identify the handset. By using the global positioning system (GPS), a mobile operator can track the handset user. This can in turn help government agencies monitor the activities of anti-national elements.
It even assists in murder investigations as was the case in the sensational murder of schoolgirl Aarushi Talwar in Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi. Police was finally able to track the girl's missing mobile phone through the IMEI number.
The telecom operators have suggested to Trai to create a central data base of IMEI numbers of stolen phones which could be shared by service providers. They have also proposed to bring a legislation to prevent cloning of IMEI numbers so that the stolen phones are not re-programmed with duplicate IMEI numbers of existing subscribers without their knowledge.
However, companies had asked Trai to make the blocking of the IMEI a chargeable service as there will be additional cost involved to upgrade the network to support the new requirement.
Earlier in 2004 Trai had issued a consultation paper in this regard. However, at that time, many service providers had no capability to track or block IMEI.
But the situation has changed as in 2008 the telecom department has asked telecos to disconnect mobile phones that do not have IMEI numbers as they could be misused by terrorists or criminals.
Thereafter telecom service providers put the Equipment Identity Regi-ster in their systems so that calls from mobile handsets without IMEI are rejected.
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