Central Equipment Identity Register – CEIR 22/06/2019 – Posted in: Daily News

CENTRAL EQUIPMENT IDENTITY REGISTER

 

For: Preliminary & Mains

Topics covered: CEIR- Objective, Purpose and working, IMEI

 

News Flash

In an attempt to stop theft and cloning of mobile phones in the country, the Telecom Ministry is set to roll out a Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR).

  • CEIR will hold the database of International Mobile Equipment Identities (IMEIs). IMEIs are 15-digit numbers that uniquely identify each mobile device.
  • According to TRAI data, India had 1.16 billion wireless subscribers as of March 2019.
  • Department of Telecom (DoT) had declared its plan to implement this project in July 2017 and a pilot was conducted in Maharashtra.
  • The concept of a central identity register was backed by the GSM Association (GSMA).

 

CEIR

  • EIR is a database present in the mobile network that contains a list of IMEIs of mobile terminals that are active in a mobile network.
  • EIR maintains a White, Grey and Black list.
  • The white list is composed of IMEIs of mobiles that are permitted for use.
  • The grey list consists of devices that does not conform to the standards but could be permitted to connect under supervision or triggering an alert.
  • The black list contains IMEIs of devices which have been reported stolen or lost and not to be provided service. Such IMEIs are denied access to the network.

 

Objective of CEIR

The implementation of the CEIR would resolve the issues namely:

  1. Curtail the counterfeit mobile phones while permitting the use of such existing mobile phones.
  2. Blocking of lost/theft mobiles across mobile networks thus discouraging theft of mobile phones.
  3. Maintaining the registry of all equipment identity facilitating data base of all valid equipments.
  4. Protecting the interests of the consumers by making them aware of the information related to fake and cloned mobile equipments.
  5. Mechanism to report loss/theft of mobile equipment.
  6. Facilitate IMEI based Lawful interception.

 

How CEIR will Work

Individuals, whose mobile phones were lost or stolen can inform the Department of Telecom (DoT) using a helpline number, after filing a police complaint.

  • The department will be able to then blacklist the IMEI number.
  • This would effectively block the mobile device from accessing any cellular network in the future.

 

International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)

The IMEI is a 15-digit number that is used to identify a device on a mobile network. The mobile industry uses these identifiers to improve operations and deter theft and counterfeit. The GSMA provides access to the IMEI Db to 3GPP network operators, device manufacturers, and qualified industry parties.

The IMEI only identifies the device and has no particular relationship to the subscriber. The phone identifies the subscriber by transmitting the International mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number, which it stores on a SIM card that can, in theory, be transferred to any handset. However, the network’s ability to know a subscriber’s current, the individual device enables many network and security features.

 

Source: Business Standard

 

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