international mobile equipment identity (mobile communications) (IMEI)
The International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) is a unique, device-specific, electronic identification number for cell phones and smartphones used in GSM and UMTS networks. Each individual cell phone and smartphone has its own IMEI.
The 17- digit IMEI number consists of the 6-digit Type Approval Code( TAC), which is a type identifier, the Final Assembly Code( FAC), which identifies the country of manufacture, the 6-digit Serial Number( SNR) assigned by the manufacturer, a check bit( CD) thatverifies the TAC code and serial number, and a two-digit software identifier, the Software Version Number (SVN). This IMEI is also known as the International Mobile station Equipment Identity and Software Version Number (IMEISV).
The IMEI is stored in the Equipment Identification Database( EIR) and can be queried by the network, enabling the location of reported stolen devices and their blocking. For MultimediaMessaging Service( MMS), the Multimedia Messaging Service Center( MMSC) can use the IMEI number to determine which terminal is connected to the network on the receiving end and what display capabilities it offers.
The IMEI number can normally be displayed by entering *Construction of
on any cell phone.