DoT makes registering IMEI number of phones mandatory

New Delhi: No mobile phones in India can be used without having its IMEI number registered with the government, said a government directive on Monday.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has made mandatory for the manufacturers of mobile phones to register the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) with the government.

Importers also have to comply with the order for registering the 15-digit numbers that uniquely identify each mobile device.

A gazette notification— amending the prevention of tampering of the Mobile Device Equipment Identification Number, Rules, 2017—asked manufacturers to register with the government's Indian Counterfeited Device Restriction portal the IMEI number of every phone made in India.

Prior to the first sale of the mobile phone, they should register with the portal the IMEI number of mobile phones imported in India for sale, testing, research or "any other purpose"

The IMEI is unique to each phone thus help identifying the device on a mobile network.

It has 15 digits to verify the identity of a device when the phone is used for connecting Internet or placing a call through it.

Phones offering dual-SIM slots come with two IMEI numbers, one for each SIM, The Indian Express said. The IMEI number can help track down a phone in the event of theft or loss.

The Communications Ministry earlier introduced the Central Equipment Identity Register to fight the theft and cloning of mobile phones.

The identity register puts mobile phones in three lists based on their IMEI status: white, grey and black.

Those on the white list are allowed to use while those on the blacklist are reported to be stolen or lost ones, which are not allowed to access network.

A notification in 2017 made tampering with IMEI numbers of phones a punishable offence with a jail term.