Sticker Tax: NTC to Require New Registration Sticker on Mobile Phones
Here is an article from GMANews.TV about a NTC plan to introduce a new registration sticker for mobile phones and a recent update on how this will increase the cost of handsets.
Dealers, suppliers and even subscribers who plan to sell mobile phones soon must obtain National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) registration stickers – which regulatory body officials will be the ones to affix – before a transaction is made in a move said to be intended to protect buyers.
In a draft memorandum circular, the regulatory body said all prospective sellers, even of second-hand units, would need to go to the NTC and register the unit to be sold, which would then be marked with the NTC registration sticker.
The NTC explained that the manufacture, distribution and attachment of the tamper-proof sticker will be done by the NTC to provide assurance that the cellular phone comes from a legitimate owner.
This is entirely redundant as most phones already have an IMEI sticker (typically placed near the battery inside the phone) and are registered (required for all public spectrum using radio devices). I am pretty sure operators and phone distributors will simply pass this cost (additional 75 bucks) to us poor customers. So, why should another sticker be used? Why not just use the IMEI sticker? Just improve it and make it tamper-proof if they wish. The real reason for this is pretty obvious … Taxation.
PS. Another solution to the phone theft problem is manadatory integration of operator EIRs to declare lost handsets in real time. There will be a shared database amongst operators that will contain this blacklist of stolen handsets. EIR checks can be integrated upon handset latching.
February 28th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
This can be done. People are trying to do this.
Basically you have a central DB containing the list of blacklisted IMEI’s. It’s easy enough to latch into the HLR so that when the phone registers you can flag it right away (down to its location/CellId..)
Problem is the telcos will never share their HLR data. Also how do you verify that a particular phone REALLY was stolen? what’s stopping some anarchist from filing a police report, manufacturing an IMEI, and then.. profit!
February 28th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
ah the anarchist argument … well, this can be true for any theft related system such as insurance and others. basically, how can we avoid it? well, procedural checks should be put in place. a certain amount of due diligence can be done. however, in the end, it is still a best effort service.