Phones without IMEI to stop ringing from Dec 1, 2009

Some phones may look fancy and come for a much lower price. But they lack one very critical feature, which can prove to be costly—the International Mobile Equipment Identity, commonly called the IMEI number.
This unique15-digit number is critical for tracking any handset whether it’s lost or stolen or needs to be monitored by security agencies.
Now, the government has ordered all mobile companies to disconnect phones that do not have an IMEI number from their networks with effect from December 1.

There are more than 2 crore phones in the country that are without IMEI. Most non-IMEI phones are manufactured in China and these phones are popular because they are inexpensive.
Well and this time the operators, after seeking many extensions, are left with no option but to comply.

The central government is worried that phones without IMEI number are untraceable and hence a security threat.
It’s after all the IMEI number, which allows a handset to be traced even though the user may keep changing the mobile operator.
While this may solve the government's problem, the operators are afraid of losing customers and revenue.
Hence they are encouraging users to get IMEI numbers implanted on their phones and are offering this service for Rs 199.

Meanwhile, even as the operators scramble to get subscribers to change to a phone with IMEI number, millions of users still don't have them, which means that their phones will stop ringing very soon.