Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijan will launch registration of IMEI-codes for mobile phones in December, Deputy Communications and IT Minister Iltimas Mammadov has said.

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 call his or her network provider and tell them 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 is used only for identifying the device and has no permanent reference to the phone user. Instead, 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 Mammadov, the registration of mobile phone codes is an important part of the efforts to prevent illegal mobile phone import, which causes problems for both mobile operators and users due to the product's incompliance with relevant standards.

Under the Cabinet of Ministers decision, a registration center has been established and cell operators have taken all the necessary measures to introduce the IMEI code registration system, according to Mammadov.

CEO of Caspian Mobile company, Ilyas Ahmadov, says the IMEI-codes control units will be set up by a consortium comprising Caspian Mobile, Integral, Mobitel and United Telecom.

"Control units will be available in dealership stores, which will simplify the application procedure in case a phone is lost. Currently, it is necessary to contact the police and go through certain procedures in some cases. Such centers will accept all the necessary documents in a centralized manner and will be able to determine the location of the phone -- if it is on the network -- after connecting to the operator," Ahmedov said.

According to the State Customs Committee chairman Aydin Aliyev, illegal import of mobile phones has increased in Azerbaijan.

"Previously tobacco and alcohol used to be smuggled the most, now mobile phones account for most of illegal trafficking. These mobile phones come mostly from Georgia, China and United Arab Emirates," Aliyev added.

The work on IMEI-codes system registration in Azerbaijan has been underway for three years. The government approved the rules of registration of mobile devices and a relevant project early this year. Local GSM operators as well as state bodies are involved in implementing the project.

According to the rules, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, imported phones intended for private use are to be registered in the IMEI code database within 30 days.

Information on registered devices presented by operators will be included in a special list. After the system is launched, all phones imported into the country must be registered in accordance with the regulations.

The system will consist of three categories in which user devices will be included -- the "white list", "black list" and "grey list".

The "white list" will include identification numbers of devices that have undergone official registration in the GSM database.

The "black list" will include unregistered or illegally imported devices.

The "grey list" will include the ID numbers of subscriber devices that are not on the "white" or "black" lists, but operate in the mobile network. These devices will be included either in the white or black list after the legality of their use is scrutinized.

The user may access the general database for IMEI-codes verification either by sending an SMS message to the mobile operator's short number or through a website which will contain the required information.