Report: Senators suggest pay registration for all mobile devices

MOSCOW, Jan 25 (PRIME) -- Russian senators have suggested introducing a pay registration for all mobile devices with access to the Internet by the international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) number from February 1, 2020, business daily RBC reported Friday on its website.

The initiative obliges manufacturers and importers to register mobile devices by the IMEI numbers, and individuals will be able to register devices purchased abroad independently on the website of state services. The bill covers phones, tablets, laptops, and other devices.

“Applying this rule to all devices, including meters (like electricity and power meters), which along with smartphones should have serial numbers, is being discussed,” said Lyudmila Bokova, the author of the bill and first deputy head of the constitutional law committee of the Federation Council, the parliament’s upper house.

The service will be charged no more than 100 rubles, Bokova said.

The IMEI codes will be stored in the bases of the research and development institute of the communications service.

Bokova said a phone purchased abroad should be registered within several months, otherwise the device will be blocked.

Under the bill, connection operators will block devices not permitted for work in networks by their IMEI number. A central base of numbers, synchronized with the international database of the GSM Association, will be created

The bill will be shortly submitted to the State Duma, the lower house.

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