Kenya bans counterfeit mobiles being used

Kenya bans counterfeit mobiles being used

"Kenya is set to switch off all uncertified mobile phones in the country by the end of September in an effort to curb security threats and halt the illegal trade of counterfeit phones....." according to http://sabahionline.com/en_GB/articles/hoa/articles/features/2012/09/20/feature-01

The ban that is targetted towards mobile phones that do not have programmed an assigned IMEI could take huge resources to police. Confiscating handsets sold by traders is unlikely to achieve the intended results, which suggests the mobile network operators may be required to instruct handsets to transmit their IMEIs at registration or OACSU prior to calls/texts being sent or received. This effort being made by Kenya is probably welcome news to genuine brand-name manufacturers fed up with counterfeits eroding the marketplace.

Moreover, visitors using counterfeit mobile phones roaming on Kenya's mobile networks may well be caught up in the ban, too, due to the difficulty of using mobile phones, whilst attempting to make roaming calls, because the handsets may be uncertified. Most holiday-makers might not know to check to see if their handset is certified before travelling to the country.

It is assumed that the CCK have already planned beyond the stage of blocking handsets without IMEIs and detecting and blocking handsets programmed with cloned/false IMEIs in order to mask counterfeit devices.

Mini Course in Cell Site Identification (Pt3.s2)

Mini Course in Cell Site Identification (Pt3.s2)

Links to previous discussions in these Mini Course modules:

Mini Course in Cell Site Identification (Pt3.s1)
http://www.trewmte.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/mini-course-in-cell-site-identification.html

Mini Course in Cell Site Identification (Pt2)
http://trewmte.blogspot.com/2011/12/mini-course-in-cell-site-identification_31.html

Mini Course in Cell Site Identification (Pt1)
http://trewmte.blogspot.com/2011/12/mini-course-in-cell-site-identification.html

In this module the discussion follows on, for section 3.2, identifying further locations where research material maybe obtained to assist cell site identitifcation (CSI). Previously in Pt3 s1 the observations identified where information can be obtained from a local authority or council planning department. The 'reality' of such information being existence and available to any enquiror occurs due to statutory provisions and public employees employed to provide such information and provide such identification that is accessible because of the charges made within national and local taxes. Presumably this might be the same situation in other countries.

Regulator
In the UK we have the 'communications' (previously known as the 'telecommunications') regulator called OFCOM (Office of Communications). It is the duty, accordng to EU directive, UK statute and regulation that the regulator provides accessible information that is current and up-to-date. One of the tools that an examiner will use is OFCOM's sitefinder service. There is a caveat to the information available from this service, which states (http://www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/):

"Sitefinder was set up as a result of recommendations of the Stewart Report in 2000. It is a voluntary scheme under which mobile network operators make information available on the location and operating characteristics of individual base stations, so that people who wish to inform themselves about this can do so.

"Ofcom hosts the Sitefinder tool on behalf of Government, which can be searched for the location and details of mobile phone base station sites around specific locations. The data within Sitefinder is owned by the mobile network operators, who supply it on a voluntary basis. A request made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, for Ofcom to make available the information contained within Sitefinder, is subject to an ongoing legal process. Meanwhile, the mobile network operators (except Everything Everywhere) continue to provide voluntary updates which are made every 3 months or so.

The Sitefinder tool therefore remains available and reasonably current (except for Everything Everywhere sites); meanwhile Ofcom will not release the underlying database pending the outcome of the legal process.

Ofcom cannot accept liability for any inaccuracies or omissions in the data provided within Sitefinder, or its currency."

The OFCOM service does provide useful information about cell sites and an examiner would be quite foolish to ignore it, but as equally foolish to believe this is the only source of information, independent from actual enquiries to the mobile network operator and so on.  By way of illustration, I was able to show that information from the local council identified that historcially a base station (cell site) had moved from its original installation (relevant to a particular investigation), which was not revealed by using the OFCOM service. This revelation is further support for an examiner being not only being aware but, equally, being astute.

Examples of the discovery process from the OFCOM sitefinder website is a glimpse at the density of cell sites in a given area:

The relevance of  density of cell site was discussed here -  http://trewmte.blogspot.co.uk/2008/06/gsm-mast-installations-density.html

Moreover, the sitefinder site also provdes details that have been registered by an operator about a particular mast:

Mobile Network Operator
However, the discovery process doesn't stop there but additionally investigation to a particular mobile network operator's website and searching for coverage in a particular geographical area is as equally important to have performed that task. For this reason I have for quite sometime provided links to UK mobile network operators' websites so that examiners can make investigative searches of a particular operator's site regarding coverage relevant for a particular geographical area.

International Marketplace
It is also relevant to be aware that mobile communications also includes 'Roaming' calls and discovery in other countries. The narrative in the aforementioned would largely be wasted without some reference sources and below I have listed a few website in order to bring an international understanding to this discussion:

US cell sites
http://www.cellreception.com/

Austria
http://www.senderkataster.at/

France
http://www.cartoradio.fr/netenmap.php?cmd=zoomfull

Malta
https://www.mca.org.mt

Netherlands
http://www.antennebureau.nl/

Sweden PTT
http://www.pts.se/en-gb/Radio/

GSMA Roaming and Coverage Maps
And for coverage aspects relevant to roaming an examiner can also visit the GSMA website to see what can be revealed about cell site identification and its coverage before conducting site surveys etc:

http://maps.mobileworldlive.com/

In this module it hasn't provided the definitive elements cell site identification (CSI), but it does provide observations for examiners to explore the options about details about a cell site (Mast) and also coverage from it. This may also reveal where the latter can provide important material, such as to define aspects about coverage, which may not have been revealed in documents / information presented by the other side.

As a refresher, readers of this mini course in cell site identification may recall at the very off I set out factors that impact on propagation from a mast and an interpretation of the possible function and responsibility of a mast and thus the natural and obligatory requirement for an exmainer to discover as much about the cell site (mast) as possible. The relevant parts produced thus far have intended to show that even before the examiner peruses call records / mast details obtained for a particular case, the examiner cannot simply take those details on face value and must make strenuous effects to understand that cell site identification is not merely about a cell ID, LAC, postocde, NGR, etc but additionally information about defined coverage that should assist the examiner prepare for site surveys etc. Furthermore, to assess the information provided by the other side to identify or isolate omissions in it/them which, once revealed, may provide an entirely different fact or influence about the evidence the other side had failed to present.

UTRAN & GERAN 3G Inter-PLMN Handover

UTRAN & GERAN 3G Inter-PLMN Handover

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The subscriber's home network is France. The visited network where the subscriber is registered in a VLR (Visitor Location Register) is Germany. The signalling connection between HLR (Home Location Register) and VLR is indicated by dotted lines. The calls for the subscriber are controlled by the MSC collocated to the VLR where the subscriber is registered. This MSC (Mobile Services switching Centre) is called "anchor MSC".

.

Handover to a different MSC may occur if the cell serving the subscriber after handover is not controlled by the anchor MSC. This MSC is called the "serving MSC". Even after the call has been handed over to a different MSC, the call control function remains in the anchor MSC. The signalling connection and circuit switched connection established between anchor MSC and serving MSC are indicated by a solid line.

.

When the French subscriber registered in a German network roams near the border to the Netherlands, inter-PLMN handover may occur. In this case a Dutch network is the target network. After handover, the anchor MSC located in a German network continues to control the call. The German network remains the visited network where the subscriber is registered. The subscriber's location information stored in the HLR remains unchanged. The signalling and circuit switched connections between the anchor MSC and the previously serving MSC in the German network will be released when the User Equipment (UE) is served by a cell within a Dutch network. The Dutch network becomes the serving network. From the Dutch network the subscriber may be handed over to a Belgian network (see Figure 1).

.



.

It is noteworthy. A problem exists for mobile users when commuting across national borders. Whilst manual network selection may be used to ensure that the user can select the HPLMN (Home PLMN)/ EHPLMN (Equivalent Home-PLMN), many users use Automatic Selection mode; and the ME is only permitted to select PLMNs of a higher priority within the same country in automatic mode. This leads to the situation that, having crossed back into its home country and within HPLMN coverage, an ME might remain camped on the VPLMN in the adjacent territory.

.

As a consequence, the user will be charged international roaming rates for all calls made or received until such time as an MS either:

.

(a) moves out of VPLMN coverage or

(b) manually selects the HPLMN.

.

Note: Power cycling the ME does not solve the problem because the mobile will look for the RPLMN (Roaming-PLMN). The reference to ME is infact a reference also to 3G UE (User Equiment).

.

These matter can impact when considering Roaming Cell Site Analysis and Call/Billing Records. It is recommend therefore that reviewing the 3GPP Standards aid understanding how UTRAN and GERAN can function under certain UE conditions particularly when dealing with Network Selection Principles.

.

Thanks to 3GPP for provision of information used in this discussion.

UTRAN & GERAN 3G Inter-PLMN Handover

UTRAN & GERAN 3G Inter-PLMN Handover

.
The subscriber's home network is France. The visited network where the subscriber is registered in a VLR (Visitor Location Register) is Germany. The signalling connection between HLR (Home Location Register) and VLR is indicated by dotted lines. The calls for the subscriber are controlled by the MSC collocated to the VLR where the subscriber is registered. This MSC (Mobile Services switching Centre) is called "anchor MSC".
.
Handover to a different MSC may occur if the cell serving the subscriber after handover is not controlled by the anchor MSC. This MSC is called the "serving MSC". Even after the call has been handed over to a different MSC, the call control function remains in the anchor MSC. The signalling connection and circuit switched connection established between anchor MSC and serving MSC are indicated by a solid line.
.
When the French subscriber registered in a German network roams near the border to the Netherlands, inter-PLMN handover may occur. In this case a Dutch network is the target network. After handover, the anchor MSC located in a German network continues to control the call. The German network remains the visited network where the subscriber is registered. The subscriber's location information stored in the HLR remains unchanged. The signalling and circuit switched connections between the anchor MSC and the previously serving MSC in the German network will be released when the User Equipment (UE) is served by a cell within a Dutch network. The Dutch network becomes the serving network. From the Dutch network the subscriber may be handed over to a Belgian network (see Figure 1).
.

.
It is noteworthy. A problem exists for mobile users when commuting across national borders. Whilst manual network selection may be used to ensure that the user can select the HPLMN (Home PLMN)/ EHPLMN (Equivalent Home-PLMN), many users use Automatic Selection mode; and the ME is only permitted to select PLMNs of a higher priority within the same country in automatic mode. This leads to the situation that, having crossed back into its home country and within HPLMN coverage, an ME might remain camped on the VPLMN in the adjacent territory.
.
As a consequence, the user will be charged international roaming rates for all calls made or received until such time as an MS either:
.
(a) moves out of VPLMN coverage or
(b) manually selects the HPLMN.
.
Note: Power cycling the ME does not solve the problem because the mobile will look for the RPLMN (Roaming-PLMN). The reference to ME is infact a reference also to 3G UE (User Equiment).
.
These matter can impact when considering Roaming Cell Site Analysis and Call/Billing Records. It is recommend therefore that reviewing the 3GPP Standards aid understanding how UTRAN and GERAN can function under certain UE conditions particularly when dealing with Network Selection Principles.
.
Thanks to 3GPP for provision of information used in this discussion.
.
More on Cell Site Analysis: http://cellsiteanalysis.blogspot.com

Mobile Market Stats

Mobile Market Stats

Useful OFCOM mobile market statistics collated from the UK mobile network operators.