BANGALORE: Cellular phone manufacturers have now requested the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) to ban handsets with counterfeit or cloned IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) numbers, after the DoT cracked its whip on the use of handsets without.
At a press conference in Bangalore on Wednesday, Pankaj Mohindroo, president of Indian Cellular Association (ICA) which represents cellular phone manufacturers including Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and other brands, said, “Despite the fact that cloned IMEI handsets pose a serious threat, the current DoT directive does not include them under its ambit. There is a significant practice within the grey markets where genuine number is copied on to many illegal handsets. The handsets that have cloned IMEI numbers should also be banned in the interest of security.” As per ICA statistics, in August alone, illegal consignments of handsets worth Rs 1.45-crore was seized by the Central Crime Branch. “It is widely known that unbranded mobile phones, after import, disappear in the parallel grey market without record of movement or billing since there is no after sales service offered or demanded,” said Mahindroo.
What is IMEI?
IMEI is a unique 15-digit code identifying a mobile. It prevents the use of stolen handsets for making calls and allows security agencies to track down a specific user.
However, a majority of handsets sold in the grey market do not come with the IMEI. The IMEI number will be displayed after you press *# 06 #. To check the authenticity of IMEI send an SMS to 57886 with your IMEI number.
The SMS reply will provide the brand name and the model number originally allotted for this IMEI number.