A Tramer-style registry for used mobile phone sales is coming. The same kind of checks commonly used in second-hand car transactions—investigating whether parts have been replaced or whether the device has any damage—will soon be applied to pre-owned mobile phones. With the planned Tramer application, buyers will be able to obtain reliable information about a device before completing a purchase. The system will allow users to query a phone’s IMEI to check for damage history and whether any parts have been replaced.
The mobile application is still under development, but it is expected to be rolled out soon for second-hand models. Prospective buyers will be able to see full details about a used device, from how many previous owners it has had to which components were changed. Mustafa Kemal Turnacı, President of the Association of Mobile Communication Devices and Information Technology Businessmen, emphasized that mobile phones are not merely luxury items but necessities, and said that regulation is needed for the used-phone market.
Used Phones Could Be Exported
Used phones could become exportable. The MOBISAT president suggested exporting refurbished phones to other markets, noting that the current refurbishment rate for used phones is around 12 percent. By increasing that rate, refurbished devices could be exported to developing countries. Work on this idea is ongoing.
Turnacı also noted that around 300,000 cases are pending under Electronic Communications Law No. 5809 due to false identities and fraudulent transactions, and that roughly 90 percent of those cases have been resolved in favor of the complainants. He said switching to the MERNIS (central population management) system is necessary to prevent such grievances. Regarding IMEI cloning, he recommended much tougher penalties, arguing that stricter sanctions would reduce victimization by up to 99 percent.
Having addressed cloning problems in the industry for more than 15 years, Turnacı said that current regulations remove devices from the IMEI registry only after seven years without signal, and he called for reducing that period to two years. He estimated Turkey’s annual losses from device cloning at approximately 3 billion Turkish Lira.