Mobiles without IMEI numbers threaten security

LAHORE: More than 65 percent cellular sets are being used without International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers as their importers are importing them without registering the sets with the GSM Association, report official sources.

Prime Minister, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, has imposed a complete ban on the sale of cellular sets which don’t have IMEI numbers but it is practically impossible to implement this as almost 80 percent Chinese made sets are being used in Pakistan, said director marketing of a Chinese brand set, requesting anonymity. The importers of these sets do not register these sets with GSM Association to keep their price low.

The GSM Association maintains an IMEI number data base which is accessible by GSM cellular services providers in the world.

In order to maintain the data, the GSM Association charges a certain fee to issue an IMEI number to every newly made mobile hand set in the world for its identical identification.

However, in Pakistan mobile phone sets are being imported with IMEI numbers by installing 0000 digits in the memory of the set due to non implementation of type approval regulations by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Ministry of Information and Technology (MoIT).

Every hand set carries a 14-digit IMEI number. However, Chinese mobile sets being sold in Pakistan are illegal as the importers of these sets do not purchase 14-digit IMEI numbers from the GSM Association.

Such mobiles are therefore a security threat for the country as mobile hand sets are also being used as transmitters in terrorist attacks.

A spokesperson of the PTA said that “in view of the import of substandard mobile handsets and the security situation of the country, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has taken up case with MoIT for the recommencement of type approval of mobile handsets. However, response from the MoIT is awaited.”

The federal secretary IT was not available for comments.

According to sources, three government departments, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, MoIT, and Pakistan Customs are responsible for import of non type approval Chinese mobile hand sets in Pakistan.

The PTA and MoIT did not implement type approval regulations in Pakistan while the customs hierarchy also did not bother about it.

A senior official of Pakistan Customs posted in Lahore said that the department did not inquire about this type approval condition nor asked to check IMEI numbers of imported sets at the time of import.

Officials of two cellular companies said that they had traced more then 50,000 sets registered with a single IMEI number.

Every operator could check the International Mobile Equipment Identity number of every hand set with the activation of the SIM, they said.

Posted in: Business news