PTA Might Ban Chinese Handsets Without IMEI

Sources say that the Chinese handsets that come with no IMEI or with dummy IMEI will be blocked by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Preliminary work has commenced on the analysis of the handsets but no confirmation of the timeline as of now. Some smaller phone manufacturing companies in China cut cost by skipping IMEI programming stage, meaning not all phones from china come without the IMEI.

Calls made from handsets without IMEI makes it difficult and impossible to prove the person who made the call, who received the specific phone calls as they cannot be traced by the cellular companies , this makes the Handsets without IMEI a threat to the national security as they are used in the illegal work.

Recently, India blocked 25 million handsets that were without IMEI. Pakistani cellular companies are considering offering re-programming of the Chinese handsets just like India. In the re programming, the IMEI number is embedded in a mobile phone to give it legal status. Chinese handsets are a source of headache for mobile phone manufacturers like Nokia, Samsung and many others therefore this movement is supported by the handset Manufacturers. Chinese handsets have penetrated the Pakistani market and other markets thus impacting significantly on the sales of the branded phones.

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