ITU-T Recommendations

There are two alternative types of mechanisms and technology platforms available to address the issues related to counterfeit, illegal and stolen mobile devices in a country. There are inherent pros and cons to each approach. Supplement 73 to ITU-T Q-series Recommendations provides a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the underlying matters that should be clearly recognized, understood and addressed in order to have a successful system implementation.
Over the last few years many governments and countries have realized the importance and necessity of implementing technical solutions to combat the issues associated with the influx of counterfeit mobile devices, the illegal importation of mobile phones and mobile theft.
Given the complexities and the impact associated with the system implementation due to the requirements to handle these enormous issues, it is no wonder that governments are inundated with many difficult questions that are challenging to answer. Governments are generally not equipped with the technical expertise, especially in countries where the above-mentioned problems are most prevalent.
For the governments with the prime responsibility of developing the regulatory framework required for ensuring a smooth system deployment without causing any inconveniences to consumers, operators or importers, this creates a dependency on vendors and solution providers who offer technical solutions to address the above-mentioned issues.
There are two types of mechanisms that are available and can be deployed, permissive mechanisms and restrictive mechanisms. However, it is rather difficult for governments to find accurate and balanced information that covers all aspects for a complex deployment as well as the impact on various elements including the government, device manufacturers, local assembly, operators, importers, and most importantly the consumers.
This has resulted in a need to provide comprehensive information to governments so that they fully understand all relevant aspects and issues of system implementation and its impact on all stakeholders in the country. Equipped only with this knowledge, governments could determine and decide the best course of action and the right technical solution that suits their countries' needs and caters to local dynamics of the society.
This Supplement provides detailed information on the two mechanisms and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. Additionally, it provides guidelines to ensure a successful system implementation with a broad range of comprehensive measures to be adopted to combat the said issues.