IMEI Allocation

On-Line IMEI Application Form

Applications for IMEI allocations are made on-line. You must register your organisation before you can apply for an IMEI allocation. Following registration, you will be allocated a manufacturer's Organisation Code; this code must be remembered for use in subsequent IMEI applications.

If you have already received notification of your Organisation Code you do not have to register again.

Equipment Type Approval

Please note that IMEI allocation is not equipment approval. An IMEI allocation does not mean that the equipment has been approved. IMEI ranges are allocated on request; evidence of compliance is not required for an IMEI allocation.

IMEI Number Structure

TAC - Type Allocation Code		Serial Number	Check Digit
NN	XXXXXX	ZZZZZZ	A
Reporting Body Identifier, eg BABT	Type Identifier defined by BABT	Number range allocated by BABT but assigned to individual mobile stations by the manufacturer.	Defined as a function of all other digits (calculated by the manufacturer).

Roles and Responsibilities

GSM Association

The GSM Association (GSMA) has accepted the role of the Global Decimal Administrator (GDA) as recommended by the Joint Experts Meeting on IMEI / MEID, to allocate International Mobile Equipment Identity Numbers (IMEI) to manufacturers for use in GSM , UMTS and multi-mode mobile stations (MS) including these technologies. The ownership and management of the IMEI structure is understood to be invested in the GSM and UMTS industry as a whole and not the province of any one sector. The GSMA has appointed BABT as their agent to carry out IMEI allocations.

The allocation procedure is funded by fees charged for IMEI allocations. Details of the fees are provided during the application procedure.

Operators and Regulators can have access to IMEI allocation information via the GSMA IMEI Database and by Summary report (if requested) under a Non Disclosure Agreement. No other bodies apart from companies jointly approved by the GSMA and EICTA-CCIG will be able to have access to this information.

GSM Manufacturers

Manufacturers must register with the GSM Association before applying for an IMEI allocation. The on-line registration form requests detailed information be provided about the manufacturer. An IMEI allocation will not be provided unless all mandatory fields (*) in the on-line form are completed to support the application.

Only Manufacturers or their authorised representative, covered under the following definition, are eligible to obtain IMEI block allocations. A letter of authorisation for such representatives should be provided to BABT prior to the application.

Manufacturer: A manufacturer is defined as the legal entity that is responsible for designing and/or manufacturing a mobile terminal complying with the standards of GSM or IMT2000 with a view to placing it on the market on his own behalf. The manufacturer has an obligation to ensure that the product intended to be placed on the market is designed and manufactured, and its conformity assessed, to comply with the provisions of the applicable regulations. The manufacturer must retain the overall control of the production of the device and maintain the necessary level of competence to take the responsibility for placing the product on the market regardless of the extent to which aspects of the manufacturing process have been undertaken by third parties.

BABT

BABT will assess the application and allocate the organisation with a manufacturer's Organisation Code. This code must be remembered for use in subsequent IMEI applications.

BABT reserves the right to refuse applications where there is a doubt as to the validity of the applicant. A refused application may be re-submitted with additional evidence of validity.

IMEI Database

Every GSM, and UMTS MS or Multi-Mode MS containing these technologies, is required to have a unique identity, known as the International Mobile Equipment Identity Number (IMEI). BABT allocates the IMEI and maintains the IMEI Database records on behalf of the GSM Association.

The IMEI uniquely identifies an individual mobile station and thereby provides a means for controlling access to GSM networks based on mobile station types or individual units. This database is used to populate the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) which is used by GSM network operators.

Applications for IMEI Blocks

You must register your organsiation before you can apply for an IMEI allocation. Following registration, you will be allocated a manufacturer's Organisation Code; this code must be remembered for use in subsequent IMEI applications. A manufacturer seeking an allocation of a block of IMEI should submit a completed copy of the on-line forms.

Manufacturers must comply with the relevant regulatory requirements in their target markets but this is not a pre-condition for allocating IMEI's.

Brandname and Cosmetic Variation

Brand Name and Cosmetic variants of terminal apparatus manufactured by the same production facility may share a common IMEI block whereby the manufacturer maintains full quality control of the IMEI integrity.

IMEI Implementation

The ETSI GSM specifications require that every MS has a unique IMEI. The IMEI is used for security purposes as part of anti-theft measures and as a means of identifying individual or types of mobile stations, which may cause technical problems with the mobile network.

The manufacturer must factory set the IMEI number in the permanent memory of the MS and it must be tamper resistant. In practice, this means that the IMEI should not be capable of being changed outside the place of manufacture. When applying for IMEI allocation the IMEI implementation in a mobile station shall comply with state of the art standards, e.g. 3GPP TS 22.016 and its equivalents.

The MS may be marked externally with the IMEI. However, the manufacturer must ensure that it is the same as the IMEI stored within the equipment and that no duplication of an IMEI is possible.

Test IMEIs

BABT allocates Test IMEIs to allow manufacturers to test prototype mobiles live on a network without previously having obtained regulatory approval (i.e. the mobiles are fully under the control of the manufacturer). They may be single prototype units or a limited pre-production run (for example, the manufacturer may wish to demonstrate a mobile at an exhibition or do some field trials).

The Test IMEI allocation does not grant permission to connect to a network or imply approval for test mobile stations. The use of a test IMEI is subject to any applicable national legislation and regulatory requirements. Operators are under no obligation to allow the use of test IMEI on their networks. A manufacturer will normally need to seek permission from the network operator to use the Test IMEIs on their network. Items with Test IMEI cannot be supplied to the market.

Test IMEIs must not be used for samples given to operators for final product acceptance.

A Test IMEI allocation is 1 million Test IMEI numbers. The number identifies the manufacturer and not the equipment type. It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to allocate Test IMEI blocks to mobile equipment types and manage the use of the numbers so that they can be re-used. BABT are not involved in the assignment of test IMEI blocks to individual mobile equipment types. The manufacturer should allocate the Test IMEIs to prototype models in blocks of 1,000 and maintain their allocation records.

Once testing is complete the old test products must be destroyed so that the serial numbers can be reused.