Using A BM Cellphone, Here's How To Check IMEI On A Smartphone

Cell phone illustration (unsplash)

JAKARTA - The government applies International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) rules to prevent the circulation of illegal cell phones or commonly known as the Black Market (BM). This blocking rule will take effect on April 18, 2020.

Because this rule is not yet fully implemented, there are still many BM cellphones on the market. It is quite difficult to distinguish between official devices or not.

However, there are several tricks that can be done, one of the ways is by checking the IMEI number on the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) website. When the IMEI number appears and is registered, the cellphone is declared legal or official.

To check the IMEI number, you can do this by pressing the * # 06 # button in the phone call menu. Later the IMEI number will appear on the cellphone screen.

In addition to this method, you can try using the SIRANI application which can be downloaded on the Google Play Store. This application officially belongs to the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo).

Screenshot of the SIRANI app (Google Play Store)

Although this method did not work and the device used at this time was not registered. The Director General of Resources and Equipment of Post and Information Technology (Dirjen SDPPI) of the Ministry of Communication and Information Ismail said that BM cell phones that were used and were active before April 18th would not be subject to IMEI rules. This means that the cellphone remains active and can be used as usual.

"If it does not appear, it means that the cellphone is indeed unofficial. But there is no need to worry, because only BM cellphones that have been activated since April 18 have been blocked," Ismail told reporters, Friday, February 28.

The IMEI inspection site, said Ismail, is only important to be accessed on April 18. Because if people want to buy a new cellphone, it is better if the IMEI of the cellphone is checked on that site. If not registered, the cellphone will be blocked.

"Although it does not appear (registered) on the IMEI site, if the cellphone is connected to a cellular operator, the IMEI data has been read and stored in the cellular operator. IMEI data from this operator is what we use to compile the April 18 data," he added.

The government also uses a whitelist mechanism to control IMEI numbers in blocking BM cellphones. This scheme allows the consumer to test the cell phone before buying it. Later, a cellphone with an illegal IMEI will not get a network signal after the sim card is attached when the device is turned on for the first time.