India has blocked about 25 million mobile phone sets due to security issues on account of having no IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) serial number.
Indian Intelligence agencies say that mobile phones having no IMEI serial number are being used for terrorism and other illegal purposes such as threatening over phone call. These handsets, usually non-branded and relatively cheaper, are widely popular among abusers because calls made using these handsets can never be traced.
Cell phone is vastly used by people of all level in India.
Whenever a call is made, operator can see the IMEI number as well as the mobile number (phone number) of the caller. Using both of these numbers, it is easy to trace the caller and find out more details about the call. Even if the caller changes his SIM card (phone number), operators can still track him detecting the IMEI number of the handset the caller is using.
But as long as the IMEI number is absent, no action can be taken as the caller remains anonymous.
To avoid anonymous threats over phone, handsets with no IMEI number cannot be used anymore in India. It is estimated that about 30% of total cellular sales in India is of these non-branded handsets. People prefer to buy it for its cheap price and extended facilities. In India, there are about 488 million mobile subscribers; and the number is going up every month with several millions added to the list.
However, some say that the market may drop on account of blocking those cheaper handsets having no IMEI, as those were the best choice for poor subscribers in India and other countries.
