The major wireless carriers in the U.S. have agreed to a deal with the government which will see the creation of a central database of stolen cellphones in an attempt to slow the surge of mobile phone thefts.
The database, which the wireless companies will build and maintain, will be designed to track phones that are reported as lost or stolen and deny them voice and data service. The idea is to reduce crime by making it difficult or impossible to actually use a stolen device, reducing resale value.
Currently, Verizon Communications Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corp. block phones that are reported stolen from being reactivated. AT&T Inc. and Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA don't. All four have agreed to be part of the new database.
"New technologies create new risks," said Julius Genachowski, chairman of the FCC. "We wanted to find a way to reduce the value of stolen smartphones."
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The database, which the wireless companies will build and maintain, will be designed to track phones that are reported as lost or stolen and deny them voice and data service. The idea is to reduce crime by making it difficult or impossible to actually use a stolen device, reducing resale value.
Currently, Verizon Communications Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corp. block phones that are reported stolen from being reactivated. AT&T Inc. and Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA don't. All four have agreed to be part of the new database.
"New technologies create new risks," said Julius Genachowski, chairman of the FCC. "We wanted to find a way to reduce the value of stolen smartphones."
Read More