Ravi Shankar Prasad launches CEIR to facilitate tracing of stolen or lost mobile phones in Delhi

Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday launched the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) system to facilitate blocking and tracing of stolen or lost mobile phones in Delhi.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash, and Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik were also present at the launch.

CEIR acts as a central system for all network operators to share blacklisted mobile devices so that devices blacklisted in one network will not work on other networks even if the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card in the device is changed, as per a statement on the CEIR website.

"With the aim to curtail the counterfeit mobile phone market and discourage mobile phone theft, protect consumer interest and facilitate law enforcement authorities for lawful interception, DoT intends to implement Central Equipment Identity Registry (CEIR) that connects to the IMEI database of all the mobile operators," the statement read.