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Goodbye Chinese Phones
Techtree News Staff, Jun 18, 2009 1137 hrs ISTIndian Govt. bans inport of phones without IMEI number
The Indian Government's lengthy legal struggle with Chinese mobile handsets has finally come to a commendable conclusion. The government has now imposed a ban on the import of Chinese mobile phones. According to the Directorate-General of Foreign Trade, mobile handsets without an IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number cannot be imported anymore. IMEI is a unique 15-digit handset number that is used for tracking its sale and helps mobile operators to identify valid handsets. This number can also be used to make phone useless (even without SIM) by mobile operators in case the device is stolen.
In April, the Indian Department of Telecom had sent a directive to COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India) requesting them to block access of mobile handsets sans IMEI number. Later, April 15 was declared as the deadline for barring IMEI-less Chinese handsets.
Being cheaper than other brands and also bearing multimedia plus touchscreen feature, Chinese mobiles obviously tend to attract consumers. About eight lakh unbranded Chinese phones come to India every month and till now, about 30 million of such IMEI-less or spoofed IMEI bearing phones are in usage.
The government has taken fair steps to maintain national security by barring the Chinese mobile import. But what about the 30 million IMEI-less Chinese mobile handsets that are in use? Apparently, the move from unbranded handsets to a branded one is going to cost the consumers a bit extra on what they've spent on Chinese handsets already.
Small time unbranded mobile phone retailers will still flourish and might even hike price of handsets. All eyes would now be on mobile operators regarding their strategy to deal with IMEI-less mobile handsets. Still, a change for national security and harmony is always welcome.
In April, the Indian Department of Telecom had sent a directive to COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India) requesting them to block access of mobile handsets sans IMEI number. Later, April 15 was declared as the deadline for barring IMEI-less Chinese handsets.
Being cheaper than other brands and also bearing multimedia plus touchscreen feature, Chinese mobiles obviously tend to attract consumers. About eight lakh unbranded Chinese phones come to India every month and till now, about 30 million of such IMEI-less or spoofed IMEI bearing phones are in usage.
The government has taken fair steps to maintain national security by barring the Chinese mobile import. But what about the 30 million IMEI-less Chinese mobile handsets that are in use? Apparently, the move from unbranded handsets to a branded one is going to cost the consumers a bit extra on what they've spent on Chinese handsets already.
Small time unbranded mobile phone retailers will still flourish and might even hike price of handsets. All eyes would now be on mobile operators regarding their strategy to deal with IMEI-less mobile handsets. Still, a change for national security and harmony is always welcome.
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kavitha
,tripur, on Dec 03, 2009 01:58 PM
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kunalkumar
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