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Bern (pte023/10.06.2003/13:35) - Swisscom mobile http://www.swisscom.ch has launched a war on mobile phone theft.
For a week now, Swisscom has been running a hotline under the number 0800 55 64 64, where users can report lost or stolen mobile phones. Swisscom then uses the IMEI number on the phone to block it from access to its network.
IMEI stands for "International Mobile Equipment Identity" - a number unique to each cell phone. Even if the SIM card in the phone is exchanged, the end device can be clearly identified using the IMEI code.
Stolen or lost phones can be reported at the hotline around the clock, and the theft does not first have to be reported to the police. Access to the Swisscom network can also be completely restored within a day - the caller simply has to prove he is the rightful owner of the device.
Swisscom is the first Swiss operator to introduce IMEI locks and has been pushing for a national platform in which all mobile operators in the country would join forces to create a sweeping security system. According to Swisscom, the system would not include pre-paying clients, "as the identification of phone owners with pre-paid connections is not reliable".
In Austria, One http://www.one.at is the only mobile operator to use the IMEI number to block phones reported as stolen.
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