MELBOURNE, Australia—Vodafone Australia will move to prevent stolen mobile phones from being reconnected from the end of December. Telstra announced in April it would stop reconnections as of 15 August. Both mobile carriers will block stolen handset codes through implementing International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) codes.
Vodafone Australia Managing Director Grahame Maher said theft is a serious issue that requires the combined efforts of the entire industry to develop effective solutions.
“Over the last few years, mobile-phone theft has been a growing concern for Vodafone,” Maher said. “As a company that works to improve its customers’ experience of owning a mobile phone, we’ve always believed on a global level that blocking handsets could be used as an important part of the solution to combat mobile-phone theft.
“At the same time, however, we knew that blocking handset codes (IMEIs) would only be really effective when undertaken by all mobile-phone carriers as a joint initiative.”
The carrier’s actions follow an Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association conference in February.
