Even as hundreds of people flock to mobile phone sellers to buy phones with valid International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers,
some illegal mobile phones in Nagpur were taken off the networks by service providers on Monday. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had actually announced implementation of the ban on non-IMEI phones from Tuesday, December 1.
Speaking to TOI on Monday, Vicky Khubnani, who runs a mobile phone shop on West High Court Road, said, "We have already received word that some mobile phones without IMEI numbers have started reporting that SIM cards in them are not valid. Also, in some cases, mobile service providers themselves have sent text messages to customers saying outgoing and incoming calls would be barred because they are using a phone without invalid IMEI numbers."
Khubnani added, "In fact, there is an interesting thing observed by those with such mobile phones, who have had their SIMs barred. If the same SIM card is put into another phone, one with a legitimate IMEI number, all calls and messaging services are instantly restored!"
However, those who have taken a hit due to the new rule, and also those about to be hit, are not an amused lot. Sushil Wankhede (name changed on request) had bought a mobile phone just three months ago, and he had thought that the Rs 5,000 he had paid for it was a steal!
"How was I to know that it would all come down to this situation? I am a student and would have gladly bought a proper phone with the money, even if it had meant that I would have had less features! Now, my current phone is useless and I have to ask my parents for at least another Rs 2,000 to buy a basic phone," Wankhede lamented.
Meanwhile, mobile shops are making merry because a good number of people are rushing to them at the last moment to buy new mobile phones. Naresh Mohakure, who owns an electronic goods shop on Hingna Road said, "What is adding to our gains is the fact that people who have been using the cheaper mobiles have got used to their features. Now, when they go in for branded phones with similar features, it costs them much more. Those who cannot afford them may go back disappointed, but those who can afford them buy costlier phones, and we are the ones who reap the benefits!"