It's reported that registry will stop prevent smartphones from being reactivated

Amid a rash of often violent thefts, wireless carriers in Canada have unveiled plans for a registry that will prevent reactivation of stolen smartphones and could eventually dry up the black market for the devices. But while Thursday’s Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association announcement is being heralded by police, politicians and the telecoms watchdog as a positive step, the association is already under pressure to get the registry up and running. “I’m really glad this is happening, it will make a difference,” said York South-Weston MP Mike Sullivan, who has complained that students at the Chaminade College School in his riding are being mugged for their smartphones as they walk to and from school. “But it’s a little disturbing that it will take 10 and half months to roll it out.” The wireless association on Thursday set a September 30, 2013 deadline for activation of the data base, but CEO Bernard Lord said he expects some carriers will have the service operating “significantly before then.” He said the associations’ members are footing the estimated $20 million cost for the registry and there will be no charge for consumers. Lord said the registry of wireless devices on the GSM wireless standard used by most phones will include verification that the IMEI (international mobile equipment identity) number has not been reported lost or stolen on any Canadian network, as well as some international networks that are available in the GSMA/IMEI database. The new device verification process, which will deny service to any device that is on the GSMA “blacklist,” is designed to help eliminate the black market for stolen devices in Canada and abroad by reducing the value of smartphones in the eyes of criminals, Lord added. U.S. wireless carriers plan implementation of similar international database measures by November 2013, the CWTA said. The industry group is also launching a consumer information website and the first in a series of broadcast public service announcements focused on reminding Canadians to protect the data on their smartphones. Lord said customers are well advised to purchase devices from established dealers to assure that the product has not been stolen. He said it’s critical that customers contact their service provider to immediately report a lost or stolen phone to have their device deactivated, noting that the vast majority of missing devices have been lost, rather than stolen. The NDP’s Sullivan added that a further step is for Ottawa to pass legislation making it a crime to alter mobile device serial numbers embedded within computer chips. Jim Chu, president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, said the initiatives will have an impact on a rapidly growing problem. “The theft of cellphones is typically a gratuitous, violent crime which can result in severe psychological and physical consequences for victims,” he said, adding that violence against victims in device thefts has increased by 71 per cent in 2010 versus 2011 in downtown Montreal alone. A spokesman for Bell Mobility said once a device is reported lost or stolen, the IMEI number unique to each handset is currently placed on an internal list and this device can no longer be reactivated on the Bell network. He said customers under contract are required to fulfill terms of the agreement, but immediate reporting helps to avoid any improper usage charges. Chu, however, said the lack of a comprehensive data base shared by carriers has meant that stolen iPhones and other devices are often up and running on alternative networks. “It was too simple. A stolen smartphone could be reactivated on another wireless carrier’s network — no questions asked.” Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission chair Jean-Pierre Blais said the regulator has been concerned about reports of increased crime involving smarphones, which are being adopted in Canada at a rapid pace. “I would strongly encourage the industry to implement the database before September 2013 to ensure Canadians benefit from this added protection as soon as possible,” Blais said. “The loss or theft of a wireless device can have many implications,” added Lord. “At best, it can be a costly nuisance, and at worst, it can have serious repercussions related to one’s personal information and safety.”