The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) may soon finalise recommendations on blocking lost and stolen handsets to prevent the misuse of any stored data and personal information.
The initiative is part of the regulator’s efforts to curb the illegal handset market and discourage theft of handsets.
The recommendations are expected to be out by October 2011.
Prior to this, in 2010, TRAI had sought comments from stakeholders, including operators, on methods of blocking lost or stolen mobile phones.
Currently, there is no mechanism in place to block a mobile phone in case it is lost. Operators can only block the SIM card. They, however, do not block the mobile phone.
