India to phase out Chinese handsets by April 13

[topgear]

New Delhi, April 4 (IANS) Cheap Chinese handsets that do not have an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) - a unique 15-digit identity code - will be phased out from the Indian market by April 13, industry operators said.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) has directed telephone operators to disconnect services to handsets that do not have the IMEI code as such phones pose security threat, a telecom official said Saturday.

IMEI helps the authorities identify the handset used to make a call on the GSM network, while the electronic serial number (ESN) is used for the CDMA network.

Following the DoT directive, telecom operators have already started alerting their customers to stop using illegal handsets.

'Airtel has always been compliant. We will comply with the authorities and bar the services as required,' Bharti Airtel deputy chief executive Sanjay Kapoor told IANS.

Added Gurdeep Singh, chief executive of another telecom operator Aircel: 'We will follow the timeline and have already intimidated our customers regarding the same. Though our customers are important, compliance is the topmost priority.'

Earlier, the DoT had extended the deadline for telecom operators to disconnect services to Chinese handsets from March 1 to March 31.

Now it has further been extended to April 13.

Telecom officials said this time they would stick to the deadline.

The government's move came after investigating agencies found that terrorists have been using non-IMEI mobile phones for their communications.

The decision would affect nearly 2.5 crore handsets, with most of them being Chinese-made.

Source : http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20090404...-handsets.html

[Mystic]

Err, didn't they already done that last year? Say Bye Bye To China Phones

Edit: Hm, ok, I'm just probably not conscious enough to read.

[expertno.1]

na it is being done this year

[Ecstasy]

That's what na.. it takes in India. If today someone proposes or suggests something and the order also passes, the work will be done only next year...

[IronManForever]

Well, its possible to put in IMEI in most chinese handsets, if not all.

This is a welcome decision, but then there are 25 million handsets here they said?
Bad for them. But I would rather prefer a Nokia 1100 than a Chinese handset.

[INS-ANI]

this is going to be a jackpot for mobile retailer in india. Good move by government. It would have been better if gov has communicated with consumer as well, asking them to change their mobile.

[lalitnagda]

been listening this since past year, many dates have been passed, but nothing happens, maybe the government should either drop this idea or atleast do something.
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been listening this since past year, many dates have been passed, but nothing happens, maybe the government should either drop this idea or atleast do something.

[haider_up32]

i have been reading this for the past 6-8 months