NEW DELHI: In a bid to check black-marketing and phone thefts in the country, the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) on Tuesday has mandated mobile phone manufacturers to register IMEI number of every handset manufactured in India with the Indian Counterfeited Device Restriction (ICDR).
Mobile makers will have to register on the portal starting January 1, 2023. IMEI, which stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity, is a unique number to identify GSM, WCDMA, and iDEN mobile phones, as well as satellite phones. Every phone has an IMEI number, which makes it easier to track the phone in theft situations.
“The manufacturer shall register the international mobile equipment identity number of every mobile phone manufactured in India with the Indian Counterfeited Device Restriction portal (https://icdr.ceir.gov.in) of the Government of India in the Department of Telecommunications prior to the first sale of the mobile phone,” reads the notification of the DoT.
The mobile makers will have to register with the international mobile equipment identity number of the mobile phones imported in India for sale, testing, research or any other purpose. For the mobile industry, black-marketing, fake IMEI numbers, phone thefts and phone tampering are some of the major concerns.
With this move, the government believes it will check theft or black-marketing cases in the country. The government introduced the Indian Counterfeited Device Restriction in 2021 for issue of IMEI certificates for import of mobile devices through various customs ports.