OXFORD, United Kingdom—While the U.K. government wants to force the four U.K. cell-phone operators to adopt more rigorous security measures in the hope that it will reduce street crime, the operators disagree over the correct technical solution.
According to Jack Wraith, an executive with the industry body Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum (MICAF), the proposed use of the cell phone’s 15-digit International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number would cause problems because it is not a unique number, and if used could block legitimate cellular users. Vodafone, which is against adopting the IMEI solution, claimed that it is possible to “zero” the number down or change it. Wraith said that these potential loopholes mean that the
