> I presume IMEI isn't something that's unique to the UK?
Definitely not, though depending on the underlying system the acronym will change a bit, the function is the same, to identify a phone independent of the identity card in it.
This is why people that prank call 911 with their identity card removed from the phone are caught.
Not always... there are lots of mobile phones where you can change the imei with simple tricks - temporarily or permanently. I know it was trivial to reprogram this on many siemens sets ~6 years ago.
Definitely not, though depending on the underlying system the acronym will change a bit, the function is the same, to identify a phone independent of the identity card in it.
This is why people that prank call 911 with their identity card removed from the phone are caught.