Thirteen Latin American mobile operators have pledged to work together across the region to block the use of stolen devices, GSMA Latin America announced. The wireless operators agreed to collaborate with governments in the region on initiatives designed to reduce mobile phone theft and related crime.
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This is a voluntary initiative among GSMA member MNOs, and it will allow the sharing of stolen mobile device information to block stolen devices and make their trafficking and reuse across the region more difficult. The agreement, which is expected to be fully implemented by March 2013, covers more than 500 million mobile connections throughout the region.
The decision was made public after a meeting of the chief regulatory officers group for Latin America (CROG Latin America), when public affairs representatives of the region’s MNOs agreed on steps to start exchanging stolen handset information via the GSMA’s IMEI Database. The agreement calls for information to be shared between MNOs to identify devices reported as stolen to ensure they are recognized and eventually blocked, according to local regulations.
Stolen mobile devices are currently a major issue in the region. Javier Delgado, chair of the CROG Latin America, said that this collaborative effort by all the region’s operators will help regulators in Latin American countries address the problem.
Last August, the governments of Mexico and Colombia signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation on Telecommunications and Information Technology that covers the actions taken by both countries to prevent illegal trade in stolen phones. In addition, coordinated action, such as MNOs joining together, is also achieving results in Central America, where industry and telecommunication regulators in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama are aligning efforts to help identify and block stolen devices.
“The idea is to build on the collaborative experience of telecom operators and governments in Central America and expand it country-by-country throughout the region over the next six months,” said Delgado in a statement.
GSMA member operators that have committed to connect to the stolen handset database and implement measures to block stolen terminals in all countries where they operate in Latin America are: América Móvil, Antel, Cable & Wireless Panama, Corporacion Digitel, Entel Bolivia, Entel Chile, ICE, Tigo Colombia, Nextel/NII Holdings, Nuevatel PCS Bolivia, Orange Dominican Republic, Telecom Italia and Telefónica.
