Disabling of illegally imported phones according to an IMEI-[International Mobile Equipment Identity] code will not be helpful for Ukrainians, Rozetka.ua founder and co-owner Vladyslav Chechotkin has said. Rozetka.ua is one of Ukraine's largest online stores.

"A previous attempt to trace phones due to IMEI was made under Yanukovych governance (the fourth president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych). I turned into a source of corruption for people who put their telephones into the database. This time, the vast majority of citizens won't benefit of the initiative, primarily because the majority of import schemes now work through undervaluation. And that means that all these phones be put into the database," he

Chechotkin said such a lockdown operation effectively works in "democratic Turkey" under the initiative of Turkcell Turkish operator, which is a parent company of Ukrainian lifecell.

"Mobile operators lifecell and Vodafone Ukraine are attempting to steamroll lockdown operation of illegally brought phones on IMEI. Why do the operators need this? I think they want to saddle the phone sales market," he said.

As reported, Vodafone Ukraine is waiting for legislative regulation of the issues of "grey imports" of phones in 2020.