Mobile ID codes registration to begin in May
By Nigar Orujova
The system of IMEI code registration for mobile phones will be applied in Azerbaijan from May 1, according to the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies.
IMEI, or the International Mobile Equipment Identity, is a unique number to identify GSM, UMTS, LTE and iDEN mobile phones, as well as some satellite phones.
The IMEI number is used by a GSM network to identify valid devices and designed for preventing stolen phones or those whose radiation level does not comply with standing regulations from accessing the network.
In case a cellular phone is stolen, its owner may ask the network provider to blacklist the phone using its IMEI number. Thus, the registration of IMEI codes will help to prevent the use of stolen phones, as well as phones with "broken" IMEI codes.
The IMEI code is used only for identifying the device and has no reference to the phone user as the subscriber is identified by the transmission of an International Mobile Subscriber Identity number, which is stored on a SIM card that can be transferred to any handset.
According to the new regulations, mobile phones brought to the country for private usage in the network of the Azerbaijani mobile operators are to be registered within a month after launching the system.
These mobile phones will be included in a database. The customs service and mobile operators will control and register the mobile phones delivered to Azerbaijan.
When the database is created, checking the IMEI codes will become a mandatory procedure during the purchase of mobile phones.
The rule will not cover tourists and visitors of the country, who are provided with roaming services on their mobile phones.
The registration system will be connected to a single global blacklist of the GSM association, which will help to combat mobile phone theft internationally.
The system will be based at the Data Processing Center under the communications ministry. Central bases were also created at the State Customs Committee and in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
The IMEI code registration will be carried out in the service centers of the GSM operators. The central office is expected to be set up at the Khatai telecommunication hub in the capital Baku.
Employees of the front offices and call centers of the Azerbaijani mobile operators have undergone skills trainings as part of the preparations for launching the project.
In the future, the IMEI codes registration is expected to be accessible in the departments of the Azerbaijani postal operator.
After starting the system, a firmware to switch off the stolen and illegal mobile phones is to be launched.
The new system's software was developed by local specialists.
Over 6 million devices imported to Azerbaijan, which has population of more than 9.3 million people, are registered in the database of IMEI codes.
Deputy Communications and IT Minister Iltimas Mammadov has said all these devices are active in the network, and their number has been dynamically increasing.
He added that in total, over 10 million phones are to be registered in the system.
"Considering that many mobile communication users have two or three phones, the estimated number of mobile phones will be higher than the number of subscribers," Mammadov said. "It would be hardly surprising when this number exceeds 14-15 million devices."
In the initial stage, the registration will cover only mobile phones, while during the following stages all devices with SIM cards (subscriber identity module) will be registered.