The IMEI number is needed to locate Phones

The number of International Mobile Equipment Identification or IMEI is a number 16 or 17 digit tracking is used in mobile phones. The number helps to identify the location of the owner, calls and contacts. In almost every mobile phone is a unique number, except for a large number of Chinese mobile phones.

Many mobile phones made in China lack an IMEI number, to keep down production costs. The phone numbers are either not at all, or have a sequence of zeros. This makes it very difficult to keep track of users of these mobile phones. If a terrorist had a stock of these phones, the results could be very detrimental.

"IMEI numbers also give details of the SIM cards used in the same phone. But if it is a Chinese phone, get this data is difficult," said an official who works with the intelligence agencies.

The government is in the process of banning the sale of these phones because IMEI number and SIM cards are very important to track and trace a mobile phone. Intercept phone calls from these phones is very difficult because calls can not be traced from a phone that does not have an IMEI number.

The question was put under the care of TECHINT (technical intelligence), which is a group of intelligence agencies in the border areas. The agencies warned that there were many of these low cost Chinese phones and quality without IMEI numbers on the gray market. There were also smuggled Chinese mobile phone with dual SIM card. In response to this warning, the new software is needed.

Service providers mobile phones have to load all Chinese phones without IMEI number with the new software, giving them a unique IMEI number. The mobile phone owners have to pay for this software.

Over the next two months, the owners of these Chinese mobile phones without IMEI numbers must load special software to give an IMEI number. If owners do not load the software on the deadline, will no longer receive mobile phone service.