The fallout from the recently introduced block on all handsets in India that do not have valid IMEI programming is estimated to affect up to 25m mobile phone owners. After delaying the proposed ban on two previous occasions the Indian government finally set the date as December 1st to implement the ban.
Mobile phones that will be affected are typically low end handset from smaller Chinese phone manufacturers who remove the IMEI programming stage to cut costs or just don’t have the certification to carry out the process.
The Indian government is offering a reprogramming service to insert a valid IMEI into the handsets, but it is expected that millions will still be without a phone service for some time.
Dan Quinn from gsmLeads.com said “Since the ban was announced, gsmLeads.com has seen a massive increase in inquiries as distributors rush to replace banned non IMEI models with handsets from verified manufacturers.”
This move by the Indian government is sure to lead the way for any countries that haven’t already imposed a ban on non IMEI handsets. Distributors have to protect themselves and can do this by using a platform like gsmLeads.com to ensure they are dealing with certified and verified manufacturers.