The Department of Telecom of the Government of India has launched Sanchar Saathi Portal to help people block, track and check the genuineness of a used device before buying them.
“First leg of Sanchar Saathi portal is CEIR (Central Equipment Identity Register). If you lose your mobile phone, then you can visit this portal. There will be some identity verification, requirement of undertaking and immediately after this the portal will interact with law enforcement agencies and telecom service providers and block your lost mobile phone,” said Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
A feature of the portal is TAFCOP, which helps people check if there are other mobile numbers working in their name without their permission or knowledge.
The Centre has also made it mandatory to disclose IMEI – a 15-digit unique numeric identifier of mobile devices before their sale in India. The mobile networks will have access to the list of approved IMEI numbers which will check the entry of any unauthorised mobile phones on their network. The CEIR will be able to block any cloned mobile phones on the network with the help of many databases. With the new system in place, it will be futile to use stolen mobile phones. The system developed under Sanchar Saathi can also help in curbing the smuggling of phones.
The Sanchar Saathi facilities have been developed by C-DoT. The technology development arm under the Department of Telecom has been able to add features to check use of cloned mobile phones across all telecom networks.
