Theft of handsets in Zambia is prompting the registration of IMEI (international mobile equipment identity) codes in the country.

The Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) expects the registration of IMEI codes to help mobile phone operators and the police blacklist or locate stolen phones.

The registration of IMEI is further expected to rid the country of counterfeit handsets that have flooded its telecom market. ZICTA has further detailed how counterfeit handsets with fake IMEI numbers will be blocked from phone networks in the country.

“The authority would soon start the registration of IMEI which will help mobile service providers and the police to blacklist or locate stolen phones,” said ZICTA head of consumer protection Katwamba Mwansa.

The move to register IMEI numbers comes after ZICTA successfully implemented SIM card registrations in Zambia last year.