Cell phone users flock centres for IMEI numbers

VILLUPURAM: Those who own unbranded cell phones continue to flock GII (Genuine IMEI Implant) centres in Villupuram and Cuddalore to get the mandatory 15-digit International Mobile Equipment Identity numbers.

The centres obtain the IMEI numbers over the Internet from an authorised dealer for a fee. While the official fee for getting the IMEI is Rs.199, some centres are collecting Rs.250 per handset.

For handsets with dual SIM cards, they charge Rs.500, much in excess of the stipulated fee, allege cell phone owners. It normally takes 10 minutes to implant the IMEI numbers, but some centres are taking 10 days and the reason for the delay is not clearly spelt out.

The new stipulation has come in handy for unscrupulous traders to recycle the IMEI numbers of scrapped cell phones, according to E. Senthil Kumar of S.K. Teleshope in Villupuram, an authorised GII centre. Mr. Kumar told this correspondent that certain handsets might have become dysfunctional owing to immersion in water or other factors. Exploiting the situation, some money-minded traders were handing out the IMEI numbers of the “dead sets” to unsuspecting customers.

Mr. Kumar said that after cell phone owners gave the identity proof along with the prescribed fee his centre would get the IMEI numbers from the main dealer in Chennai.

In such an instance, a printout carrying the IMEI number would be given to the customers, whereas those running the clandestine trade would not issue any receipts. He said that mostly handsets with the “Made in China” and “Made in Korea” labels came without the IMEI numbers.

The customers were attracted to these sets because of their range of features at lesser cost. Mr. Kumar further said that once the IMEI number was duly obtained the cell phones would get automatically activated and therefore there was no need to approach the service providers concerned.

There was no time limit for obtaining the IMEI numbers and the November 30 deadline was for decommissioning the cell phones without the IMEI numbers, he added.