| An International Mobile Equipment Identification or IMEI | | | | difficult because calls cannot be traced from a phone |
| number is a unique 16 or 17 digit number used in mobile | | | | that does not have an IMEI number. |
| phone tracking. The number helps identify the owner's | | | | The issue was brought to the attention of TechInt |
| location, incoming call links, and contacts. Almost every | | | | (technical intelligence), which is a group of intelligence |
| mobile phone has one of the unique numbers, except | | | | agencies in border areas. The agencies warned that |
| for a large number of Chinese mobile phones. | | | | there were many of these inexpensive, low quality |
| Many Chinese manufactured mobile phones lack an | | | | Chinese mobile phones without IMEI numbers on the |
| IMEI number because to keep production costs low. | | | | grey market. There were also Chinese smuggled |
| The phones either have no number at all or have a | | | | handsets that have a dual sim card feature. In |
| sequence of zeros. This makes it very hard to keep | | | | response to this warning, new software is needed. |
| track of mobile phone users. If a terrorist got a hold of | | | | Service providers of mobile phones have to load all of |
| these phones, the results could be very detrimental. | | | | the Chinese phones without an IMEI number with new |
| "The IMEI numbers also gives details of other sim | | | | software, giving them a unique IMEI number. The |
| cards being used in the same handset. But, if it is a | | | | owners of the mobile phones will have to pay for this |
| Chinese phone, getting these details becomes difficult," | | | | software. |
| said an official working with intelligence agencies. | | | | Throughout the next two months, owners of these |
| The government is in the process of banning the sale | | | | Chinese mobile phones without IMEI numbers must |
| of these phones because IMEI numbers and sim cards | | | | load the special software to give it an IMEI number. If |
| are very important to track a mobile phone. | | | | owners do not load the software by the deadline, they |
| Intercepting phone calls of these phones are very | | | | will no longer receive mobile phone service. |