This is a Mobile Device Registry and Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) Application Platform that will help mitigate the high incidence of phone theft and counterfeit phones in Nigeria.

The Phone Sense application will enable subscribers register their phones and in the event of loss or theft of the phone, the subscriber can report that status in a publicly accessible database.

A critical component of the Phone Sense application is the capability provided by the CEIR (Central Equipment Identity Register) subsystem. The CEIR will enable the subscriber to lock the phone across the databases of the mobile networks preventing the phone from being used for calls or data services.

The CEIR is integrated with the mobile operators’ networks to exchange IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) information. The IMEI is unique to each device but suffers from cloning or is otherwise not optimally used for the crime-fighting purposes.

When fully implemented, the CEIR component of Phone Sense application provides the following capabilities:

• Ability to detect illegally imported and/or uncertified devices within mobile operator network in order to initiate enforced registration or to block them.
• Ability to monitor and control the market of mobile devices being imported.
• Ability to reduce the theft rate by tracking and blocking stolen mobile devices.
• Ability for centralized monitoring, control, management and analysis of the unified mobile devices database.
• Ability to detect and prevent usage of mobile devices with cloned and/or invalid IMEI-codes.
• Ability to provide network operators and other organizations with an opportunity to restrain usage of mobile devices in case of noncompliance with credit, insurance and leasing obligations.