Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The introduction of a single register for identifying mobile devices of Svyazkom LLC in the Republic of Uzbekistan will contribute to the fight against illegal import and trafficking of counterfeit mobile equipment in the country.

Today, in most countries there is no centralized mechanism to combat the trafficking of illegal equipment. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, annually the country records damage from telephone thefts in the amount of US$20 million. In addition, the shortfall in VAT on import is more than US$60 million per year.

Despite the fact that each mobile operator individually may interfere with the use of stolen and counterfeit devices using the EIR (Equipment Identity Register) node in its network, there are still certain risks. First of all, for the operator itself, since there is the possibility of an outflow of subscribers to other networks where such work is not carried out.

To solve this problem, the Ministry of Development of Information Technologies and Communications of the Republic of Uzbekistan is introducing a system for registering mobile devices using international unique IMEI identification codes.

The State Unitary Enterprise Republican Telecommunication Networks Management Center of Uzbekistan has been identified as the operator of the accounting and registration system for mobile devices in the Republic of Uzbekistan. On the basis of this enterprise, a system for accounting and registration of mobile devices will be installed. As a technological solution, the CEIR (Central Equipment Identity Register) system of Svyazkom was selected.

The developed information system is designed to perform the following tasks:

- Increase the level of prevention and disclosure of crimes related to theft or illegal use of telephones.

- Limit the illegal import of mobile devices into the Republic of Uzbekistan.

- Increase the collection of taxes and other payments̆, including customs duties due to increased sales of legally imported and legally implemented devices.

- To provide buyers of mobile devices with the opportunity to check their status at the time of purchase in order to ensure the quality of purchased goods and after-sales service.

This kind of software is unique on the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The main advantage of CEIR is its integration with all mobile operators in the country. CEIR modules are integrated into the communication networks of each mobile operator. Thanks to this, CEIR will provide an opportunity to monitor the operation of mobile devices in the networks of telecom operators online. The information transfer time to all EIR operators does not exceed 5 minutes.

CEIR uses IMEI codes of each mobile phone. Assigning a unique IMEI number is the responsibility of the manufacturer, regulated by GSM Association documents. IMEI codes are combined into a database, which consists of “black” (prohibitory), “gray”, “linked white” and “white” lists. Mobile devices are grouped into lists according to their degree of legality and registration accuracy.

The GSM Association brings together more than 800 mobile operators and device manufacturers around the world. The CEIR system also exchanges blacklisted devices with GSMA. The “black list” contains the data of those gadgets whose identification codes have been lost, stolen, cloned, copied to other devices or, for any other reason, have not been recorded in the System for a certain time. As a result, the phone from the "black list" will not be registered in the cellular networks of Uzbekistan.

The users can register the device directly through post offices, the Unified portal of interactive public services, using SMS / USSD, as well as through the site of the system operator. After submitting the application and successful registration, the device will receive a notification within 3 hours about the successful registration by the selected subscriber method. For importing companies and manufacturers, the term for reviewing the questionnaire and registering devices is up to 3 business days.

The implementation of the system takes into account the interests of all parties to the project: government bodies (legislative branch, customs, law enforcement agencies, Internet portals of government bodies), mobile operators, manufacturers of mobile devices, retail of mobile devices, and above all, subscribers, which the CEIR system is designed to protect.

The specialists of Svyazkom successfully cope not only with the technical plan, but also with the organizational problems that inevitably arise with so many project participants.

Work on the implementation of CEIR in the country is actively underway. The launch of the unified mobile device identification register is expected on 1 November 2019.