The special programme of he Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) to investigate complaints made by mobile phone users relating to lost and misplaced phones is being implements successfully. Around 350 lost mobile phones have been recovered so far under this initiative launched recently.
This special programme is aimed to help people recover their lost or stolen mobile phones. A senior TRC official said they have been receiving a large number of complaints of lost or stolen mobile phones, and this is increasing. It has become a difficult task to recover lost phones earlier. People were reluctant to make complaints after loosing their phones because it was an unfruitful exercise.
The TRC has the ability to recover the lost or stolen phone with or without knowing the IMEI number .But it is easy for them to conduct investigations if the owner of the mobile phone provides the EMEI number. it is useful to know the IMEI number or the International Mobile Equipment Identity to investigate missing phones. It can also be displayed on the screen of the phone by entering *#06# on mobile phones. The TRC official pointed out that it is important for mobile phone owners to know the IMEI number of the phone for its security.
According to TRCSL director General Anusha Pelpita an investigation can be made if a mobile phone user provided relevant ‘IMEI’ number which is readable on any mobile phone network by dialing #06#.If the complainant is unable to provide the ‘IMEI’ number it is also possible to conduct the investigation using the telephone number provided by the complainant.
The TRCSL will take steps to trace the ‘IMEI’ number from the relevant mobile phone network.Mobile phone users are requested to lodge the initial complaint at the Police Station where the phone was possibly stolen, misplaced or stolen with the certified copy of the police complaint.
What is IMEI
International Mobile Equipment Identity
The
International Mobile Equipment Identity or
IMEI (pronounced
/aɪˈmiː/) is a number, usually unique,
[1][2] to identify
GSM,
WCDMA, and
iDEN mobile phones, as well as some
satellite phones. It is usually found printed inside the battery compartment of the phone. It can also be displayed on the screen of the phone by entering
*#06# into the keypad on most phones.
The IMEI number is used by the
GSM network to identify valid devices and therefore can be used for stopping a stolen phone from accessing the network in that country. For example, if a
mobile phone is stolen, the owner can call his or her network provider and instruct them to "blacklist" the phone using its IMEI number. This renders the phone useless on that network, whether or not the phone's
SIM is changed. However, the phone can be used on other networks.
The IMEI is only used for identifying the device and has no permanent or semi-permanent relation to the subscriber. Instead, the subscriber is identified by transmission of an
IMSI number, which is stored on a
SIM card that can (in theory) be transferred to any handset. However, many network and security features are enabled by knowing the current device being used by a subscriber.






