According to a notification posted on the department's website on Friday, the industry had asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to remove the requirement for registering the IMEI, or International Mobile Equipment Identity, of mobile phones, intended for exports.
"The requirement of registration of IMEIs of mobile phones being manufactured in the country for export is kept in abeyance till further orders," said DoT in a circular.
IMEI:
IMEI is a unique 15-digit code assigned to every mobile phone to identify the device connected to a mobile network. A dual SIM phone will have two unique IMEI numbers.
Standard Operating Procedure is being Prepared:
In a notification on October 27, the department mandated that manufacturers register the IMEI number of all mobile phones manufactured in the country. The circular also said the standard operating procedure (SOP) or user manual for the same is being prepared and will be finalized after incorporating the industry feedback.
Also Read: DoT Requires IMEI Registration of Phones Prior to the First Sale or Import
In the circular, it also mentioned that this is part of the development work for the updation of the Indian Counterfeited Device Restriction portal to cater to the requirements of locally manufactured phone IMEI registration.
DoT also mentioned that all the industry suggestions would be implemented in the portal before making the updated portal live.
The DoT circular also said that rule 4 (1) of the prevention of tampering of the Mobile Device Equipment Identification Number Rules, 2022, shall come into force with effect from January 1, 2023.
The Industry request to give additional three months for the rules to be effective is not accepted by the department, and the timeline remains unchanged.
Mobile Handsets Carried/Imported by Individuals:
Clause 6.7 of the SOP for "Implementation of Central Government notification prohibiting the import of mobile phones with duplicate, fake and International Mobile Equipment Identity" applies to mobile handsets carried/imported by individuals.
According to the clause:
Self-certification by the individual that the Mobile handset carried/imported has genuine IMEI will suffice for the following:
- Mobile phones (new/used) imported as passenger baggage.
- Import of Mobile phones on repair and return basis.
- Mobile phones (new/being used) carried by the passenger while coming into India or going out of India.
Individual users are not required to register their handsets as of now.
