Stolen mobile phones to be disabled in new move

KUALA LUMPUR: All stolen or missing handphones will be deactivated and can no longer be used even with new SIM cards by December. 

This is when the mobile phone service operators introduce a new service to curb mobile phone theft, which has escalated to an alarming level. Last year alone, statistics showed that some 100,000 handphones were reported lost but the authorities said the real figure could be much higher. 

“When the service starts, all stolen or missing handsets will be deactivated and be blocked nationwide. It will subsequently be extended regionally. This means that all missing or stolen handphones can no longer be used, even with new SIM cards,” a source in the telecommunications industry told The Star. 

Nuemera Malaysia, a local company, has been appointed by the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry to establish, operate and manage the entire stolen or missing handphones database. The company will work hand in hand with the telcos to manage the database. 

Its president, Mohd Nor Amin, confirmed that the company had been appointed for the job but declined to provide details. 

However, the source said Nuemera, which has worked with the ministry to implement the system in the past two years, had created a system to enable it to work with the telcos to disable and block such handphones. 

“The system has already been established. The company is now working with the ministry and MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) to iron out technical issues in introducing the service.” 

The source said MCMC is likely to call Nuemera and all the local telecommunications companies for a meeting soon to discuss the implementation of the service. 

Users who lose their handphones must report to their respective telco to activate the service.  

Once a case is reported, the handphone International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), a unique 15-digit code found in each handset, will be deactivated, disabling the handset. Similar details will also be given to Nuemera.  

“Based on the IMEI (which is recorded by the telcos when phone calls are made), Nuemera will issue an immediate alert to all other local telcos to notify them of the stolen handsets. Similar details would also be dispatched to telcos in neighbouring countries.” 

The source said IMEI is a unique code that can be found in Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) handphone and is used by mobile service providers to identify the validity of the devices. 

An MCMC official said the service is unlikely to be free. 

“There would be a small fee imposed for the service. However, we have yet to fix the quantum and how the users will be charged.”