From now on, the government will come to your rescue if you lose your mobile phone. On September 13, Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched a website, where you can report phones stolen in Maharashtra. The west Indian state has been chosen to conduct a pilot test of this portal.

The Department of Telecommunications began working on this technology in 2017. They had been working on developing the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), which will be a database of India’s billions of IMEIs (International Mobile Equipment Identity), reported the Live Mint. These 15-digit unique identification numbers will help track your phone.

So, how does this technology work?

Suppose your phone has been stolen. You have to first file a complaint with the Department of Technology (DoT) using their helpline number 14422.



Launched Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) in Mumbai. This will enabled blocking of lost or stolen mobile phone using their IMEI number based on the police complaint. Presently this service is being rolled out for the users in Maharashtra on pilot basis. pic.twitter.com/X3VfX4zY9S

— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) September 13, 2019

Once a police complaint is lodged, the DoT will identify your IMEI number and blacklist it. Once this is done, whoever is in possession of the phone, will not be able to access any mobile network using it, thereby rendering the handheld device redundant.

Even your cell phone operator will be able to blacklist your phone using the same IMEI number. Further details on how this would help to retrieve stolen phones will be available once the website goes live.

The CEIR will additionally be able to access the GSMA’s worldwide IMEI database and compare IMEI numbers to track down counterfeit handsets.

The GSMA is a global organisation for all cell phone operators and makers of gear and software, etc. This provision of international cooperation will help retrieve your handset from any part of the world in the future.