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Our Bureau

New Delhi, Nov. 29

With just a day left for the Government-imposed ban on illegal handsets to come into effect, the mobile operators have sought a two-month extension of the deadline. The operators who have set up 1,600 outlets for implanting the IMEI number on handsets through a standardised software are nowhere near reaching out to the 20 million consumers suspected of owning a handset without the number.

The Department of Telecom, under the instruction of the Home Ministry, had directed operators to disconnect all subscribers with handsets without the IMEI number by November 30.

Seek more time

Therefore, starting Tuesday, operators will start pulling the plug off such subscribers. “While we have directed our technical team to disconnect all handsets without proper IMEI number from Tuesday as per the orders of the Home Ministry, we are also requesting the Government to give us two more months to implement the approved software scheme so that poorer subscribers are not affected by this move,” said a senior GSM industry executive.

IMEI is a unique 15-digit code that identifies a mobile. It prevents the use of stolen handsets for making calls and allows security agencies to track down a specific user. However, a majority of handsets sold in the grey market do not come with the IMEI, which has been of concern for security agencies.

More Stories on : Telecommunications | Security

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