Summary - Q.5055 (03/2026) - Technical requirements, interfaces and generic functions of a central equipment identity register (CEIR)

With the expansion of adoption of mobile communication devices, the world is facing increasing cases of mobile device theft, of international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) replication and of the use of counterfeit mobile devices. To prevent the usage of such irregular devices, one of the possible actions recommended by Recommendations ITU-T Q.5050, ITU-T Q.5051 and ITU-T Q.5052 is that the mobile network operator (MNO) block the irregular mobile device unique identifier in the equipment identity register (EIR) and implement a series of device control lists (such as permitted, tracked and blocked) to manage this process.
Recommendations ITU-T Q.5050, ITU-T Q.5051 and ITU-T Q.5052 also indicate the need for an irregular device to be blocked at the same time across different MNOs (within the country and also around the world) and for this the use of a central equipment identity register (CEIR) is required to consolidate and distribute the data contained on these control lists to all the connected mobile network operators (MNOs).
To assist countries seeking to implement a CEIR, Recommendation ITU-T Q.5055 provides a detailed technical description of the CEIR system, its requirements, the interfaces and basic functions it should provide and some optional features that may be used, depending on the country specific requirements. It also describes the different stakeholders of the CEIR system and their intended or expected roles and responsibilities.