India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade today announced that is banning certain mobile phones from entering the country. Any device lacking a 15-digit IMEI code is banned from being imported.
The IMEI code is the International Mobile Equipment Identity code – it allows operators to track the device whenever it makes a call across the network.
What we think?
Following the terrorist action in Mumbai last year, where devices without IMEIs were used, India has decided that the devices represent a security threat. However according to BT Cellnet, IMEI are not infallible – they can be programmed into stolen handsets, and 10% of IMEIs are not unique.
