Russian Digital Ministry Publishes IMEI Database Rules, Operator Costs Exceed 3 Billion Rubles

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media (Ministry of Digital Development, Минцифры) has published a draft regulation on the rules for operators' interaction with the future unified IMEI database. This database will be used to combat gray-market smartphones, devices with altered identifiers, and illegally imported equipment.

The Ministry of Digital Development stated that it does not plan to conduct mass registration of citizens' phones. In most cases, IMEI information is transmitted by operators for devices already registered on the network or by the Federal Customs Service upon import. Only for new smartphones purchased abroad and brought into Russia will device owners need to register the IMEI themselves, which can be done voluntarily via the State Services portal (Gosuslugi).

Each device in the database will store the IMEI, status ("Allowed," "Blocked," or "Unregistered"), basis for entry, operator information, and registration date and time. The database operator is the Ministry of Digital Development, with access granted to operators, the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor), the Federal Customs Service, relevant federal agencies, and state bodies responsible for operational investigative activities and security.

According to the document, the unified database will enable faster identification of devices with altered IMEIs, combat illegal equipment imports, and provide operators with a centralized mechanism for blocking prohibited devices. The explanatory note states that currently there is no unified IMEI repository, making it difficult for operators to meet requirements for blocking illegal devices.

The new procedure is planned to take effect on March 1, 2027, and remain valid until March 1, 2033. The Ministry of Digital Development estimates that operators' costs for implementing the new requirements over six years will exceed 3 billion rubles.