§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what(a) discussions he has had about and (b) plans he has for, making mobile phones more secure and less attractive to steal; and if he will make a statement. [131984]
§ Ms HewittThe mobile industry already undertakes a series of measures to deter the theft of mobile phones. Such measures include the optional use of PIN codes to lock handsets; the ability to disable the SIM card (the smart card in the phone which connects the phone to a network) making it impossible to send and receive messages; and the ability to disable the phone handset itself. Some operators also subscribe to a world-wide service which enables a phone number to be blocked by overseas networks as well.
In the interest of customer loyalty and fraud management, I would expect the mobile industry to adopt all appropriate measures to minimise the possibility of theft and will continue to encourage them to do so.