Each GSM mobile phone has a unique International Mobile Equipment
Identity , which is used to identify the mobile phone
but not the network subscriber using the phone.
In order to
maintain the independent identities of the GSM mobile phone and
the GSM subscriber, the international mobile equipment identity is
completely independent of the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)
Each GSM
network operator maintains three lists of international mobile equipment identities
(IMEIs) in its equipment identity register (EIR):
grey - GSM mobile
phones to be tracked
black - barred GSM mobile phones, perhaps
those that have been stolen
white - valid GSM mobile phones
Other topics in our resources on GSM related to IMEI include: