Agreement to build a blacklist stolen phones throughout Latin America

In a good initiative against theft of mobile terminals in Latin America, the thirteen largest operators in the region have joined together to create a blacklist of stolen IMEIs. The agreement is voluntary and will allow operators to block terminals throughout the geography.

The joint effort of all operators in the region to join this initiative will help our country regulators to address this problem.

Said Javier Delgado, the CROG Latin America (Chief Regulatory Officers Group, responsible for public policy of the operators), which has provided a platform for the agreement, which sets out the steps to share the stolen device IMEIs, to keep localized and block them if necessary, although this varies from country to country.

The initiative of the agreement for the creation of regional front against theft of mobile terminals has since 2011 adopted by the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission. In Central America heho already having results with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama allies. Now the work is to expand these agreements for each country over the next six months. Operators who have joined are: America Movil, Antel, Cable & Wireless Panama, Corporacion Digitel, Entel Bolivia, Entel Chile, Costa Rica's Electricity Institute (ICE), Tigo Colombia, Nextel / NII Holdings, Nuevatel PCS Bolivia, Dominican Republic Orange Telecom Italia and Telefonica.

As said Sebastian Hair, director of the GSMA (association representing mobile phone companies), the initiative is an example of how the private sector and the public can work together to provide solutions to a problem of concern to society. I really do not understand is why initiatives as good as this are not already implemented worldwide for 5 years at least. In any case, the conclusion of the plan is expected in March 2013, better late than never.