Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan cooperate to fight counterfeit IMEI

Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan have agreed on cooperation in the field of registration of mobile IMEI codes, Spot reports. 

The corresponding memorandum was signed on November 25 by a delegation of Ministry of ICT Development of Uzbekistan and representatives of AzInTelecom LLC under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport from Azerbaijan. The document denotes the organization of joint work in the field of cell phone registration.

It is planned to create a single “black list” of lost and stolen IMEI codes, as well as to organize the exchange of experience and information. A new working group will take up the issue.

In 2021, the official volume of mobile phone imports to Uzbekistan amounted to 3 million units, mainly from China and Vietnam. Lawful imports of phones increased sharply after the introduction of IMEI registration. However, the population has repeatedly complained about problems with the design of phones, including cases of registering devices without the knowledge of a person. UzIMEI explained that one can register the code online – then the operator cannot know whether it is the owner of the passport or the violator.