Unregistered mobile handsets to go silent

Measure taken by telecom watchdog to discourage smuggling, theft of phones

Pakistan’s telecom watchdog, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), is introducing a new system of identifying and blocking unregistered or illegally imported counterfeit mobile phones from tomorrow.

According rough estimates, to number of such cell phones that will be useless after the deadline, is feared to be in millions for either they are stolen or imported into Pakistan illegally.

The system is being launched to block use of illegally imported and counterfeit mobile phone sets that have either been stolen or smuggled inside the country and then used by criminals or terrorists in their acts of sabotage. The PTA in cooperation with Ministry of Information Technology (IT) has introduced this system in line with the Telecom Policy 2015.

The new nationwide system called Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) will operate as a Centralised Equipment Identity Register, a database of International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers of blacklisted mobile phones.

Once DIRBS is set in place, the counterfeit mobiles with fake or stolen IMEI numbers will not be able to operate on Pakistani mobile networks, discouraging smuggling, said an official of the PTI while talking to Gulf News here yesterday.

According to the Interior Ministry, the move will help counter terrorist activities in the country.