TRA notification:

TRA Directive No. 7 of 2011 – Duplicate IMEIs

This TRA (www.tra.gov.ae) directive was issued on 6 September and is designed to protect you from using counterfeit handsets illegally in the UAE.

The TRA directive states that all fake International Mobile Equipment Identity numbers or IMEIs must be replaced by 31 December; else, the handsets with fake IMEIs will be gradually blocked from use on the GSM network. We’ll begin blocking fake IMEI handsets from 1 January and continue until 29 January after which all fake handsets will be blocked.

IMEI is the International Mobile Equipment Identity number, which is a unique identification code for each mobile phone.

A fake IMEI is an identification number that falls outside the TAC range supplied internationally by the GSM Association (www.gsm.org).

An operator network is capable of identifying the IMEI number of your handset and comparing it to the international lists provided by the GSMA.

If you have a fake IMEI, you’ll receive an SMS informing you of this problem and requesting you to start using a genuine handset by 31 December.

However, if you’ve still not changed your fake handset to a genuine one after 31 December, you’ll not be able to access your mobile services from the handset with the fake IMEI. This blockage is in accordance with the directive from the Telecom regulatory Authority (TRA), to protect the UAE’s consumers from the downfalls of using fake mobile handsets illegally in the UAE.

How can I know if my handset is Fake or not?

Just dial *# 06 # in your handset and you’ll get the IMEI, then send a text to 8877 with the IMEI number only. EXAMPLE: 359484027478158.  After successfully sending your IMEI number to short code 8877 via SMS, you will receive 2 SMS in reply, one in Arabic and one in English with the validity.

You can also check it online with through our web application. Click here to check the Validity of your handset IMEI.

If you’ve received this SMS and need more information, please check your IMEI validity or contact us via email customer.care@du.ae