PTA is Launching a System to Block Smuggled/Stolen Smartphones Forever!

The launch of 3G/4G services in Pakistan has immensely increased the influx of smart phones and other mobile devices. And during this, millions of Illegal, smuggled and stolen mobile handsets, tablets and replica devices were floated in the country.

In order to deal with the inflow of illegal/invalid mobile phones in the country, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is launching a system called ‘Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) that will essentially eliminate any illegal or smuggled phones and devices in Pakistan.

PTA says that the system is designed to detect sub-standard, fake, stolen/snatched and illegally imported mobile phones operating in the country and block them forever from operating on local mobile networks.

How DIRBS Works

Primarily, International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number will be used in conjunction with other mobile indeifiers to categorize non-compliant devices.

Once a non-compliant device is found and detected by mobile phone operators, they will be black-listed and they won’t operate with any mobile network in Pakistan.

IMEI number is a unique identity number assigned to every mobile set in the world by GSMA through which individual devices can be identified.

How to know Your Mobile Phone IMEI

A mobile phone owner can check the IMEI of his device by any of the following methods:

• Dial *#06# on the mobile phone
• IMEI is also printed on the box of a new mobile phone
• Make sure that the IMEI in the phone and on the box matches

You can expect more details on how non-compliant phones will be detected and blocked when system will be officially launched by PTA.

Benefits of PTA DIRBS for Users

• Blocking of substandard and fake phones will improve quality of service as such phones are health hazarious and provide users with degraded quality of service.
• Denying service to stolen/snatched phones will reduce the incentive for the people involved in criminal practices there by lowring mobile snatching incidents
• The menace of illegal imports will be eliminated and legitimate businesses will flourish, providing opportunity for mobile operators to offer better packages to customers such as sale of top end smart phones on easy installments, better after sales service for mobile phones etc.

Additional Benefits of DIRBS

• Curbing of illegal imports will increase customs/taxes for the government
• Since each mobile phone will have a valid and unique IMEI it will be easy to trace them if involved in a crime, thus improve the over all securtity situation in the country.
• Elimination of unfair competition for legitimate device importers.

How Can an Owner or Buyer of New Mobile Phone Check Status of His Phone

Before launch of DIRBS PTA will provide a Device Verification System (DVS) for the public that will be accessible through the DIRBS website/mobile app or through SMS to check the validity of the device.

PTA says that DIRBS will be implemented in a manner so that users do not face any problems in the use of their existing phones as they will continue to work but after a specified date all new phones coming into the country will be checked.

The whole process of cleaning illegal/invalid phones from the networks will remain seamless to the existing mobile users.

We will update you with more information before the launch of DIRBS system.