In plain English
It is a device-specific identifying number. That lets one mobile phone or other mobile device be told apart from another.
In context
Here, IMEI means the unique identifying number of the mobile device being requested when the device itself must be identified for compatibility or activation.
- Situation
- Porting numbers, activating SIM or eSIM, replacing devices, and changing account details
- What it communicates
- labels the device identifier requested for compatibility or activation
Meaning limits
By itself, IMEI names only the device's identifying number and does not establish status, ownership, or outcome.
Examples
“The two identical handsets had different IMEIs.”
“For activation, the clerk asked for the phone's IMEI.”