The IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) is a unique
15 digit code used to identify an individual mobile station to a
GSM or UMTS network. The IMEI number provides an important
function, it uniquely identifies a specific mobile phone being used
on a mobile network. The IMEI is a useful tool to prevent a stolen
handset from accessing a network and being used to place calls.
Mobile phone owners who have their phones stolen can contact their
mobile network provider and ask them disable a phone using its IMEI
number. With an IMEI number, the phone can be blocked from the
network quickly and easily.
There are several ways in which you can locate your mobile
phone's IMEI number. The IMEI can usually be found on the handset,
beneath the battery, sometimes printed on a small white label.
Another way to easily locate your IMEI phone is to dial the
following sequence of numbers into the handset: *#06#
If a mobile handset is lost or stolen, the owner of the device
can contact the CEIR (Central Equipment Identity Register) which
will blacklist the device in all currently operating switches. This
makes the lost or stolen handset unusable. The action of
blacklisting stolen mobile handsets is seen as a deterrent to
crime. It is possible, however, to change an IMEI with special
tools and there are certain mobile networks that do not
automatically blacklist handsets registered with the CEIR. Current
statistics state that approximately ten percent of IMEI's in use
today are not unique or have been reprogrammed (hacked).
