TRC setting up data base to tackle mobile phone thefts, counterfeit trade

Sri Lanka is to establish acomprehensive data base containing a list of mobile phones with all details including its international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) which is a unique identification code for each mobile device, the country’s telecommunication regulator said.

The planned Central Equipment Identify Register (CEIR) connects to the IMEI database of all the mobile

Mr. Pelpita told the Business Times that the computerised system will be able to block services to subscribers with registered devices with invalid or blacklisted IMEIs and also identify the device model, version and other information.

operators and acts as a central system for all network operators to share blacklisted mobile terminals.

It will ensure that devices blacklisted in one network will not work on other net- works even if the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card in the device is changed. This register of mobile phones will be maintained by the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) to crack down on counterfeit and poor quality mobile handsets as well as to tackle theft of mobile phones which has become an increasingly serious problem in Sri Lanka, TRC Director General Anusha Pelpita revealed.

Mr. Pelpita told the Business Times that the computerised system will be able to block services to subscribers with registered devices with invalid or blacklisted IMEIs and also identify the device model, version and other information.

The theft of mobile phones is not just a financial loss but also a threat to personal life of the citizens as well as national security as the vital information stored in the stolen mobile phones are prone to misuse, he added. A substantial number of counterfeit mobile phones are active in Sri Lanka’s mobile networks with fake IMEI numbers.

Most of these are illegal copies of popular brands and models of mobile phones and do not carry a valid and unique IMEI .

(Bandula)