Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) | Burning Issues

Table of Contents

Context

In a bid to curtail the rampant cloning and theft of mobile phones across the country, the Telecom Ministry is ready to roll out a Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR).

Central Equipment Identity Register

The concept of a central identity register is advocated by the GSM Association (GSMA
Idea was first conceived in the National Telecom Policy-2012.
A pilot for the project was developed
In the interim budget for 2019- 20, the government allocated Rs 15 crore to the DoT for the CEIR project.

Working of the database

DoT’s identity register will be a database of IMEI numbers.
Mobile phones with IMEI numbers in the white list will be permitted for use.
Those in the blacklist will be the ones that are reported stolen
Devices with IMEI numbers in the greylist will be the ones that do not conform to standards.
Consumers in India whose mobile phones are lost or stolen can inform the Department of Telecom (DoT) via a helpline number
The DoT can then blacklist the IMEI number
The CEIR will have access to GSMA’s global IMEI database
Why it is important?
The theft and cloning
The theft of mobile phones is not just a financial loss but also a threat to personal life of the citizens as well as national security.

What is IMEI?

The International Mobile Equipment Identity or, as well as some satellite phones.
For example, if a mobile phone is stolen, the owner can have their network provider use the IMEI number to blacklist the phone.
This renders the phone useless
The IMEI only identifies the device The phone identifies the subscriber by transmitting the International mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number

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