 Welcome | Sign In  You're No Phone of Mine: Carriers Agree to
Disown Stolen Handsets  You're No Phone of Mine: Carriers Agree
to Disown Stolen Handsets  Major U.S. wireless carriers will
refuse to reactivate cellphones that have been reported as
stolen. The decision is part of an agreement between five
carriers and the FCC. The plan is intended to cut down on phone
theft by giving thieves fewer incentives to steal smartphones.
However, foreign markets for phones still exist, and resale cash
isn't the only value a crook can wring from a stolen handset.
The Federal Communications Commission and five major U.S.
wireless providers have announced an initiative to create a
database of stolen mobile phones in an effort to combat
smartphone theft.  AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Sprint and
Nex-Tech Wireless, carriers that together provide service to
about 90 percent of wireless customers in the U.S., said they
will not reactivate phones that have been reported stolen.  The
program will begin by Oct. 31 in the U.