The government of India has put into effect a ban on the import of mobile phones without the unique identity number in the country. This ban has been enforced as there were rising security concerns as such devices were untraceable.

The unique identity number is available in every mobile phone and the GSM models come with an IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number whereas the CDMA devices have an ESN (Electronic Serial Number) or MEID (Mobile Equipment Identifier). This unique identity provided to each device assists in tracking them and also for the users to retrieve their lost phone.

Of course, there are mobile phones that come with duplicate or fake IMEI numbers and these are generally used for despicable purposes. The government has already imposed instructions for the import of phones with fake identity numbers, those with no such identification number and also the ones with IMEI numbers such as ’00…00’. As an effect of the new order issued by the Indian government, the duplicate IMEI number boasting devices will also be included in the banned list.

Undoubtedly, duplicate phones are a great hazard for the security agencies to locate and trace them. There are issues for those users who have such devices and also for the service providers. With the new ban on the import of phones with duplicate IMEI numbers, the government can crack down on the importers as well.