The government on Thursday further tightened import restrictions on mobile sets. A notification by the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said that CDMA handsets not having electronic serial number (ESN) or mobile equipment identifier (MEID) would not be allowed to be imported.
Most phones without IMEI, MEID or ESN are being imported from China and are cheaper compared to handsets with these features. According to market estimates, there could be over 2 crore cell phones without unique IDs. Though India has the largest number of CDMA handsets, GSM sets outnumber them.
Earlier in June, the government had banned GSM-based cell phones without international mobile equipment identify (IMEI) number. Cell phones that do not have ESN, MEID and IMEI numbers, which act as unique IDs, pose a security threat, as terrorists often use such handsets. It is difficult for security agencies to track phones without these unique identity numbers, as users remain anonymous in cell phone networks.
Mobile phone operators in India will not be routing calls to and from phones without these unique IDs from November 30.
