Even as users of China-made mobile phones get time till March 31 to upgrade their phones with the special IMEI number-generating software or face action, new handsets made in our neighbouring country have almost disappeared from major electronic markets like the Alfa stores and Heera Panna.
A growing misuse of mobile phones by anti-national elements has led the Department of Telecommunications to direct all operators to disconnect handsets without the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, a unique 14-digit number assigned to each handset that helps in tracking its user.
Penalty
After disconnecting handsets without IMEI numbers, operators will have to submit a compliance report by April 15, failing which a penalty could be imposed.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) hopes that the issue will be sorted out as soon as the software developed by COAI members generates IMEI numbers for these handsets.
Upload software
“Users of China-made handsets will have to get the software loaded. This will generate an IMEI code and identify users,” said COAI director general T V Ramachandran.
Nadeem Akhtar, a mobile phone dealer at Heera Panna, said, “Eighty per cent of sellers at genuine electronic markets have pulled out stocks.” Sellers believe that the new software is not yet foolproof. “The police will grill us if we sell these handsets,” said Nawaz Mallik, another mobile phone seller. COAI, however, insists that the software when uploaded onto the handsets will provide the device with a unique IMEI number.
15 lakh
The number of mobile handsets without IMEI numbers that are sold in India every year
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