DUBLIN, Ireland-Mobile phones are among the most popular targets for petty thieves, and with the recent launch of new multimedia devices in the run up to the holiday season, more handsets than ever are expected to fall into the wrong hands this year. Vodafone is trying to combat this phone theft culture by increasing handset security.
Mobile phones are one of the most commonly stolen items in many European countries. In Ireland, for example, the police estimate that handsets account for more than 60 percent of stolen personal items.
Vodafone hopes to make phones less attractive to thieves by using the unique serial number-International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI)-on each handset to turn off the phone, rendering it unusable. Because all IMEI numbers are stored, the network recognizes the handset, so the thief cannot simply replace the subscriber identity module (SIM) card and use the phone again.
To make the system more effective, all operators would need to sign up to a single database. Otherwise, a handset that has been deactivated on the Vodafone network could be used with a different SIM card on a different network. Sadly, the logistics of establishing and maintaining such a network make it a long-term objective at best.
