The Digital Development Ministry has abandoned plans to introduce a fee for registering smartphones by IMEI, but the creation of a database of unique numbers is still under discussion

The Digital Development Ministry has abandoned plans to introduce a fee for registering smartphones by IMEI, but the creation of a database of unique numbers is still under discussion

This was stated by the ministry to Kommersant.

"There is no talk of charging any fee," it said.

The Digital Development Ministry added that the bill has so far passed only its first reading and its final version has not yet been formed, but the creation of an IMEI database is being discussed as part of the second package of amendments to combat cyber fraud.

"It is currently being discussed that all devices already in users' hands will be recognized as legitimate. Going forward, the system may work in such a way that a SIM card tied to a specific IMEI will not function in another device," a source in the telecom market told the publication.

He noted that "the current version of 'Antifraud 2.0' does not provide for blocking gray-market devices." Another source in the electronics market says the initiative has two key goals: bringing the market out of the shadows and increasing tax collection.

🔵It became known at the end of last year that from 2028 only phones with a registered IMEI will be able to operate on Russian networks. The measure was previously explained by the deputy head of the Digital Development Ministry as a way to combat drones.

At the same time, it also became known that the Digital Development Ministry wanted to set a "small fixed fee" for officially imported devices, and for "gray-market" ones, a percentage of the cost.

🔵The registry itself will make it possible to block devices imported without payment of customs duties and taxes. As Izvestia writes, according to operators' estimates, legalizing imports will bring the budget about 30 billion rubles in tax payments.

🔵IMEI is a unique number that every mobile device has, for example a smartphone. Law enforcement agencies, in particular, can use IMEI to identify a device in operators' networks, track its movements, and also identify linked devices and networks of contacts.

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