New Government Rules Stop Mobile Theft Fake Smartphones IMEI Registration Indian Counterfeited Device Restriction Sell New Handset

In a bid to cease the black advertising and marketing of smartphones and examine the sale and buy of stolen and faux smartphones in India, the federal government has taken an enormous step. The Division of Telecom (DoT) has issued a gazette notification whereby it has said new pointers that make it obligatory for all handset producers to register all their gadgets with the Indian Counterfeited Gadget Restriction (ICDR) portal beginning January 1, 2023, earlier than they promote the gadget of the primary time. 

“The producer shall register the worldwide cell tools id variety of each cell phone manufactured in India with the Indian Counterfeited Gadget Restriction portal (https://icdr.ceir.gov.in) of the Authorities of India within the Division of Telecommunications previous to the primary sale of the cell phone,” learn the DoT notification.

What’s the Indian Counterfeited Gadget Restriction portal?

The Indian Counterfeit Gadget Restriction or ICDR portal was launched by the central authorities final 12 months. Click on on https://icdr.ceir.gov.in to succeed in the ICDR portal which was launched for granting Worldwide Cell Gear Id (IMEI) certifications for the import of cell gadgets by means of numerous customs ports.

The federal government’s new pointers would apply to all smartphones, together with imported gadgets corresponding to flagship smartphones made by Samsung and Apple.

The brand new pointers from the DoT come nearly 5 years after the federal government made tampering with IMEI numbers a punishable offence which may land an offender in jail for as much as three years. The foundations have been launched in 2017 and based on that “the prevention of tampering of the Cell Gadget Gear Identification Quantity, Guidelines, 2017” bar an individual from knowingly utilizing a cell gadget whose IMEI quantity has been modified unlawfully or software program that may change or tamper the distinctive quantity.

It ought to be famous that stories of faux IMEI numbers and duplicate IMEI numbers being present in smartphones should not new. As many as 13,500 Vivo smartphones in Meerut had the identical IMEI numbers, which have been present in 2020, based on a report by Livemint.