Equipment Identity Register

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The Equipment Identity Register ( EIR ) is an optional part of the digital GSM cellular network. It is responsible for the administration of participant and device numbers.

The EIR is used to check whether the mobile device used is a locked or stolen cell phone . For this purpose, the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) of the device is transmitted and checked when the mobile device is registered.

The EIR has a white, a gray and a black list of IMEIs. The IMEIs on the white list are OK, those on the gray list are checked and IMEIs of stolen cell phones are blacklisted (associated cell phones are denied access to the network).

In practice, the EIR often proves to be unsuitable for theft protection because:

  • the IMEI of a cell phone can be reprogrammed with the appropriate software,
  • many network operators forego an effective implementation of the EIR or
  • the lists are not compared with other network operators.

In Germany, only Vodafone supports the blocking of IMEIs on devices that were purchased from Vodafone. The provider E-Plus also offered this procedure, but discontinued it due to bad experiences. Deutsche Telekom does not offer the option to block IMEIs (as of March 2013). All network operators in England support this option.

See also

  • IMEI serial number for the unique identification of mobile radio devices
  • IMSI for the unique identification of network subscribers in GSM and UMTS cellular networks
  • IMSI catcher for eavesdropping on cell phone customers
  • SIM card to identify the user in the cellular network
  • Mobile phone tracking
  • Stealth Ping - also Silent SMS or Silent SMS to locate cell phones or to create movement profiles
  • Cell-ID is a method of mobile positioning in the GSM cellular network