CEIR to trace stolen mobile phones in Delhi

Central Equipment Identity Register system to facilitate blocking and tracing of stolen or lost mobile phones was launched by Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in Delhi.

New Delhi: Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday launched the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) system to facilitate blocking and tracing of stolen or lost mobile phones in Delhi, the same portal was launched earlier in September 2019 in Mumbai on a pilot basis.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash, and Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik were also present at the launch.

CEIR acts as a central system for all network operators to share blacklisted mobile devices so that devices blacklisted in one network will not work on other networks even if the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card in the device is changed, as per a statement on the CEIR website.

International mobile equipment identity(IMEI) is supposed to be Unique Identity of mobile phone device phone with one or two slots of SIM cards is programmed with one or two IMEI number as the case may be. IMEI number being Programmable, some miscreants reprogram of IMEI number which results in the cloning of IMEI causing multiple phone devices with IMEI number as on date there are many cases of cloned are duplicated IMEI handsets in the network.

If such IMEI is blocked a large number of mobile phones will get blocked being handsets with the same IMEI causing inconvenience too many genuine customers. Does there is a need to eliminate duplicate and fake IMEI mobile phones from the network.

Accordingly, a project called Central equipment identity register( CEIR) system has been undertaken by the Department of Telecommunication for addressing security theft and other concerns including reprogramming of mobile handsets.

While talking to media secretary of ministry of Telecommunication Anshu Prakash said that this project will facilitate the request for blocking of stolen or lost mobile phones by customers, blocking of such mobile phones across mobile networks, alloying services to other existing customers having mobile phones with same International mobile Equipment Identity Number, sharing of traceability data with police authorities and unblocking of recovered are found stolen or lost mobile phones.

"With the aim to curtail the counterfeit mobile phone market and discourage mobile phone theft, protect consumer interest and facilitate law enforcement authorities for lawful interception, DoT intends to implement Central Equipment Identity Registry (CEIR) that connects to the IMEI database of all the mobile operators," the statement read.