Mobile Equipment IDentifiers (MEID)
Overview:
A Mobile Equipment IDentifier (MEID) is a globally unique 56-bit identification number for a physical piece of mobile station equipment. Equipment identifiers are "burned" into a device and should be resistant to modification. They are used as a means to facilitate mobile equipment identification and tracking. Additionally, MEIDs are coordinated with International Mobile Equipment Identifiers (IMEIs), facilitating global roaming and harmonization between 3G technologies as a universal mobile equipment identifier.
The MEID is a 14-digit hexadecimal value. The MEID is capable of being transmitted over the air upon a request from the network. The MEID is
composed mainly of two basic components, the manufacturer code and the serial number, as follows:
All of these fields are defined as hexadecimal values with the following valid range.
In the case of MEIDs for terminals designed to comply with both 3GPP and 3GPP2 specifications (i.e., multimode terminals), all these fields
are defined as decimal values with the following valid range:
How is TIA involved?
TIA serves as the Global Hexadecimal Administrator (GHA) to assign MEID manufacturer codes. TIA also coordinates with the International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI) Global Decimal Administrator (GDA), the GSM Association, to administer codes for multi-mode equipment. Support in standards is rapidly being developed. The TIA Committee TR-45 ESN/UIM/MEID Ad Hoc, in cooperation with 3GPP2, is actively working with industry to assist a smooth transition from ESN to MEID. The following library of MEID documents is intended to assist the MEID understanding and migration from the finite ESN numbering resource to MEID:
Industry Correspondence Related to Migration from ESN and UIM_ID to MEID and E-UIM_ID
Letter to CDG Executive Director from TR-45 Chair Regarding Critical Need at CDG CTO Level for 56-bit Mobile Equipment IDentifier (MEID) and Expanded UIM_ID ("E-UIM_ID") Implementation (July 31,2007; 3 pages; 99K)
ESN Reissue/Reclamation December 2003 Letter Sent to Manufacturer's w/ID Codes 129-254 (Baseline Text; 2 pages, 52K)
First Industry Outreach Letter Sent December 18, 2003 & January 7, 2004 (One Sample of 17 letters; 2 pages, 35K)
Follow-Up Outreach Letter Sent to CTIA on March 9, 2004 (3 pages, 39K)
Letter on Assignment of Test Mobile Blocks for MEIDs (October, 2004; 1 page, 26K)
MEID Overview (Version 1.4-April 2006, 9 pages, 57K)
MEID Standards Update (Version 1.8.4-April 2006, 36 pages, 737K)
FAQ for ESN and UIM_ID Transition to MEID and E-UIM_ID (July 31, 2007, 6 pages, 52K)
White Paper on Pseudo-ESN Collisions (May 26, 2005, 14 pages, 139K)
3G Mobile Equipment Identifier (MEID) (3GPP2 S.R0048-A, Version 4.0-June 23, 2005; 15 pages, 304KB) NOTE : See also Annex A: Decimal Representation of MEID [contained in 3GPP2 X.S0008-0, Version 2.0-October 2005, 54 pages, 644KB].
Guidelines/Process
The MEID assignment process is compliant with the MOBILE EQUIPMENT IDENTIFIER (MEID) GHA (Global Hexadecimal Administrator) Assignment Guidelines and Procedures (Version 4.0, September 2007; 28 pages, 180K).
MEID Assignments
The Global Hexadecimal Administrator (GHA) publishes a quarterly administrator's report, available upon request by materially- and directly-affected parties.
Application Process
There is a fee for filing MEID application assignments. The fee chart is available here. Applicants are required to request MEID assignments from the GHA by completing and transmitting FORM A (see below). Once the form is received, the GHA will inform the applicant of the required fee. Assignments will NOT be processed until payment has been received.
Forms
FORM A - Mobile Equipment Identifier (MEID) Application Form
Applicants are asked to download and print and are required to fill out this form to apply for Mobile Equipment Identifiers (MEID). Completed forms
should be either faxed to the MEID GHA at +1.703.907.7728, or e-mailed to meidadmin@tiaonline.org.
The administrator will respond by providing the applicant with FORM B: Mobile Equipment Identifier Manufacturer's Code Application Disposition.
FORM C - Mobile Equipment Identifier Use Declaration
Assignees are required to use this form to inform the MEID GHA of MEID MFR Code deployment.
FORM D - Request for Change in Mobile Equipment Identifier Information
Assignees are required to use this form to inform the MEID GHA of any modifications in the contact information on file for the MEID assignment.
The MEID GHA will communicate confirmation that this modification has been made by responding with FORM E: Confirmation of Change in Mobile
Equipment Identifier Assignment Information.
FORM F - Mobile Equipment Identifier Assignment Return
Assignees are required to use this form to return to the GHA, any MEID MFR Code no longer needed for the production of mobile stations (MSs), any MEID MFR Code
not deployed within the time period specified, including extensions, or any MEID MFR Code not used in conformance with these assignment guidelines.
FORM G - Certification of Compliance with MEID Guidelines
Assignees are required to use this form to communicate to the GHA, on an annual basis, compliance with the MEID Guidelines.
Information on UIM (User Identity Module) and E-UIM (Expanded User Identity Module) used in R-UIM (Removable User Identity Module) Cards
The UIM_ID is a 32-bit identification number for the Removable User Identity Module card (R-UIM). Each UIM_ID is meant to be unique, i.e., different from any other assigned UIM_ID and Electronic Serial Number (ESN). The UIM_ID shares the same numbering space with the ESN. It is anticipated that the 32-bit numbering space for both the UIM_ID and the ESN will be exhausted completely in the near future.
For more information on UIM_ID Assignment Guidelines and Procedures, please refer to User Identification Module ID Manufacturer's Code Assignment Guidelines and Procedures (3GPP2 SC.R4004-0, Version 1.0 - January 17, 2008; 31 pages, 35K).
An Expanded R-UIM identifier (E-UIM_ID) solution is needed to address issues associated with the impending exhaustion of the existing 32-bit UIM_ID/ESN numbering space. The purpose of introducing a new identifier is to define a larger numbering space.
For more information on E-UIM_ID Numbering Administration Procedures, please refer to Expanded R-UIM Numbering Administrative Procedures (3GPP2 SC.R4003-0, Version 1.0 - May 2007; 9 pages, 155K).
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Publications
Standards & Technology Annual Report (STAR)
A summary of the latest actions taken by the respective TIA engineering committees.
TIA Engineering Manual
This manual describes the manner in which the standards activities of TIA are organized and the manner in which its activities are conducted.