Topic: India Hanging Up On 25 Million Cell Phones

[sam]

"India is about to pull the plug on 25 million cell phones in the name of fighting terrorism and fraud. 'The ban by India's Department of Telecommunications has been unfolding gradually since Oct. 6, 2008, six weeks before the attacks in Mumbai killed 173 people and wounded 308. A memo then directed service providers to cut off cellphone users whose devices didn't have a real IMEI — or unique identity number — in the interests of "national security." Since then, the move has picked up steam as a way to circumvent terrorists using black market, unregistered cellphones. The Mumbai attackers kept in touch with each other via cellphones and used GPS to pinpoint their attacks, which started Nov. 26, 2008, and went on for three days. The telecommunications department has issued warnings and deadlines through 2009 but has announced this one is for real, telling operators to block cellphones without valid IMEI numbers. Previously, it warned companies to stop importing them and customers to stop buying them.'"

http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/09/11/30/2042245/India-Hanging-Up-On-25-Million-Cell-Phones?from=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot+(Slashdot) 

[Rik]

Can you imagine a number like that being cut off here? 

[Simon]

I'm not sure if our networks would be usable without a valid IMEI number, would they?  I've never even heard of 'false' ones.  How does that work, then? 

[Rik]

I don't think so, IMEI seems built into our system.

[Simon]

That's what I thought.