%PDF-1.4 %âãÏÓ 1 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Pages 2 0 R >> endobj 2 0 obj << /Type /Pages /Count 3 /Kids [5 0 R 7 0 R 9 0 R] >> endobj 3 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /BaseFont /Helvetica >> endobj 4 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold >> endobj 5 0 obj << /Type /Page /Parent 2 0 R /MediaBox [0 0 595.28 841.89] /Resources << /Font << /F1 3 0 R /F2 4 0 R >> >> /Contents 6 0 R >> endobj 6 0 obj << /Length 4788 >> stream BT /F2 22 Tf 0.06 0.08 0.12 rg 1 0 0 1 46 789.89 Tm (What is an IMSI Number, and How is it Related to) Tj ET BT /F2 22 Tf 0.06 0.08 0.12 rg 1 0 0 1 46 762.89 Tm (MCC and MNC?) Tj ET BT /F2 11 Tf 0.72 0.14 0.18 rg 1 0 0 1 46 725.89 Tm (TechRounder PDF Edition) Tj ET BT /F1 9.5 Tf 0.36 0.39 0.46 rg 1 0 0 1 46 709.89 Tm (Live article: https://www.techrounder.com/telecom/what-is-an-imsi-number-and-how-is-it-related-to-mcc-and-mnc/) Tj ET q 0.82 0.85 0.9 RG 1 w 46 691.39 m 549.28 691.39 l S Q BT /F1 10 Tf 0.24 0.27 0.32 rg 1 0 0 1 46 679.39 Tm (By Vipin PG | Published June 10, 2024 | Updated March 9, 2026 | Format: Explainer | 4 min read) Tj ET BT /F2 13 Tf 0.72 0.14 0.18 rg 1 0 0 1 46 656.39 Tm (In brief) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 636.39 Tm (An IMSI \(International Mobile Subscriber Identity\) is a unique number, up to 15 digits long, stored on a) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 621.39 Tm (SIM card that identifies a mobile phone user on a cellular network.) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 596.39 Tm (An International Mobile Subscriber Identity \(IMSI\) is a unique number that is used to identify a mobile) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 581.39 Tm (phone user on a cellular network. It is stored on the SIM card inside a mobile device and is sent to the) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 566.39 Tm (network to identify the user. The IMSI is a 64-bit field that can be up to 15 digits long. It is defined by) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 551.39 Tm (the ITU-T E.212 international numbering standard. The IMSI is used in GSM, UMTS, LTE and other) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 536.39 Tm (mobile networks that interconnect with each other. The IMSI should not be confused with the ICCID,) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 521.39 Tm (which is the identifier for the physical SIM card itself. The IMSI is part of the user profile stored on) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 506.39 Tm (the SIM card.) Tj ET BT /F2 15 Tf 0.08 0.1 0.14 rg 1 0 0 1 46 478.39 Tm (Structure of the IMSI) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 454.39 Tm (The IMSI is composed of three main parts:) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 432.39 Tm (1. Mobile Country Code \(MCC\) - 3 digits) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 415.59 Tm (2. Mobile Network Code \(MNC\) - 2 or 3 digits) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 398.79 Tm (3. Mobile Subscription Identification Number \(MSIN\) - 9 to 10 digits) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 381.99 Tm (The MCC uniquely identifies the country of the mobile network. The MNC identifies the home network) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 366.99 Tm (of the mobile subscriber within that country. The MSIN identifies the mobile subscriber within that) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 351.99 Tm (network's customer base. So the IMSI has the following structure: MCC + MNC + MSINFor example, an) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 336.99 Tm (IMSI might look like this:310150123456789Where:) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 314.99 Tm (- 310 is the MCC for the United States) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 298.19 Tm (- 150 is the MNC for AT&T Mobility) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 281.39 Tm (- 123456789 is the MSIN identifying the specific subscriber) Tj ET BT /F2 15 Tf 0.08 0.1 0.14 rg 1 0 0 1 46 258.59 Tm (Mobile Country Code \(MCC\)) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 234.59 Tm (The Mobile Country Code \(MCC\) is the first 3 digits of the IMSI. It uniquely identifies the country of) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 219.59 Tm (domicile of the mobile subscriber. MCCs are defined by the ITU-T E.212 numbering plan. The first) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 204.59 Tm (digit of the MCC identifies the geographic region:) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 182.59 Tm (- 2 - Europe) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 165.79 Tm (- 3 - North America and the Caribbean) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 148.99 Tm (- 4 - Asia and the Middle East) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 132.19 Tm (- 5 - Oceania) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 115.39 Tm (- 6 - Africa) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 98.59 Tm (- 7 - South and Central America) Tj ET q 0.86 0.88 0.92 RG 1 w 46 42 m 549.28 42 l S Q BT /F1 8.4 Tf 0.42 0.45 0.5 rg 1 0 0 1 46 30 Tm (TechRounder | Page 1 of 3) Tj ET BT /F1 7.2 Tf 0.42 0.45 0.5 rg 1 0 0 1 46 19 Tm (https://www.techrounder.com/pdf/blog/what-is-an-imsi-number-and-how-is-it-related-to-mcc-and-mnc.pdf) Tj ET endstream endobj 7 0 obj << /Type /Page /Parent 2 0 R /MediaBox [0 0 595.28 841.89] /Resources << /Font << /F1 3 0 R /F2 4 0 R >> >> /Contents 8 0 R >> endobj 8 0 obj << /Length 4182 >> stream BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 789.89 Tm (The digits 1 and 8 are not currently used. 9 is reserved for future global services. Some example) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 774.89 Tm (MCCs:) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 752.89 Tm (- 208 - France) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 736.09 Tm (- 234 - United Kingdom) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 719.29 Tm (- 310 - United States) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 702.49 Tm (- 404 - India) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 685.69 Tm (- 505 - Australia) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 668.89 Tm (- 655 - South Africa) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 652.09 Tm (A full list of MCCs can be found in the ITU-T E.212 specification. As of 2021, there are around 250) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 637.09 Tm (assigned MCCs.) Tj ET BT /F2 15 Tf 0.08 0.1 0.14 rg 1 0 0 1 46 609.09 Tm (Mobile Network Code \(MNC\)) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 585.09 Tm (The Mobile Network Code \(MNC\) follows the MCC in the IMSI. It consists of either 2 or 3 digits that) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 570.09 Tm (identify the mobile subscriber's home network. Historically, European and other countries followed) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 555.09 Tm (the ITU-T E.212 recommendation which specified 2-digit MNCs. However, the North American) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 540.09 Tm (Numbering Plan used 3-digit MNCs from the beginning for AMPS networks. Over time, some countries) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 525.09 Tm (have transitioned from 2-digit to 3-digit MNCs due to the need for more networks.) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 503.09 Tm (The length of the MNC depends on the value of the MCC. It is recommended that MNC length is kept) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 488.09 Tm (uniform within an MCC. A mixture of 2 and 3 digit MNCs is used in some countries like the United) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 473.09 Tm (States. The MNC is used in combination with the MCC to uniquely identify a mobile network operator) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 458.09 Tm (globally. This MCC+MNC tuple is used in the signaling network and transmitted by base stations to) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 443.09 Tm (identify the operator. Some example MNCs: France \(MCC 208\)) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 421.09 Tm (- 01 - Orange) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 404.29 Tm (- 10 - SFR) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 387.49 Tm (- 20 - Bouygues) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 370.69 Tm (United States \(MCC 310\)) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 348.69 Tm (- 004 - Verizon) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 331.89 Tm (- 120 - Sprint) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 315.09 Tm (- 150 - AT&T) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 298.29 Tm (- 260 - T-Mobile) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 281.49 Tm (India \(MCC 404\)) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 259.49 Tm (- 01 - Vodafone Idea) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 242.69 Tm (- 10 - Bharti Airtel) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 225.89 Tm (- 20 - Reliance Jio) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 209.09 Tm (- 86 - BSNL) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 192.29 Tm (The MNC is assigned by the national numbering authority in each country. Lists of MNCs for each MCC) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 177.29 Tm (are published by the ITU.) Tj ET BT /F2 15 Tf 0.08 0.1 0.14 rg 1 0 0 1 46 149.29 Tm (Mobile Subscription Identification Number \(MSIN\)) Tj ET q 0.86 0.88 0.92 RG 1 w 46 42 m 549.28 42 l S Q BT /F1 8.4 Tf 0.42 0.45 0.5 rg 1 0 0 1 46 30 Tm (TechRounder | Page 2 of 3) Tj ET BT /F1 7.2 Tf 0.42 0.45 0.5 rg 1 0 0 1 46 19 Tm (https://www.techrounder.com/pdf/blog/what-is-an-imsi-number-and-how-is-it-related-to-mcc-and-mnc.pdf) Tj ET endstream endobj 9 0 obj << /Type /Page /Parent 2 0 R /MediaBox [0 0 595.28 841.89] /Resources << /Font << /F1 3 0 R /F2 4 0 R >> >> /Contents 10 0 R >> endobj 10 0 obj << /Length 3213 >> stream BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 789.89 Tm (The Mobile Subscription Identification Number \(MSIN\) is the last part of the IMSI. It uniquely identifies a) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 774.89 Tm (mobile subscription within a network. The MSIN is 9-10 digits long, depending on the length of the MNC.) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 759.89 Tm (If the MNC is 2 digits, the MSIN will be 10 digits. If the MNC is 3 digits, the MSIN will be 9 digits. This) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 744.89 Tm (keeps the total IMSI length within 15 digits. The MSIN format and allocation is up to each mobile) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 729.89 Tm (network operator. It identifies the mobile subscriber within the operator's customer base.) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 707.89 Tm (Along with the MCC+MNC, it allows each mobile user to be uniquely identified globally. When a user) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 692.89 Tm (roams onto another network, the IMSI is used to retrieve their subscription information from the home) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 677.89 Tm (location register \(HLR\) in their home network. For security reasons, the IMSI is sent over the radio) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 662.89 Tm (network as rarely as possible. A Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity \(TMSI\) is sent instead to avoid) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 647.89 Tm (identifying and tracking a user.) Tj ET BT /F2 15 Tf 0.08 0.1 0.14 rg 1 0 0 1 46 619.89 Tm (Conclusion) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 595.89 Tm (In summary, the International Mobile Subscriber Identity \(IMSI\) is a globally unique number that) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 580.89 Tm (identifies a mobile user. It is up to 15 digits long and consists of three parts:) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 558.89 Tm (1. Mobile Country Code \(MCC\) - 3 digits identifying the country) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 542.09 Tm (2. Mobile Network Code \(MNC\) - 2 or 3 digits identifying the mobile network) Tj ET BT /F1 10.5 Tf 0.2 0.23 0.28 rg 1 0 0 1 46 525.29 Tm (3. Mobile Subscription Identification Number \(MSIN\) - 9 or 10 digits identifying the subscriber) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 508.49 Tm (The MCC and MNC together identify the user's home network operator. The MSIN identifies the) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 493.49 Tm (individual user within that network. The IMSI is stored on the SIM card and used by the network for) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 478.49 Tm (authentication, billing, and retrieving the user's profile from their home network when roaming. It is a) Tj ET BT /F1 11 Tf 0.14 0.16 0.2 rg 1 0 0 1 46 463.49 Tm (critical identifier in mobile networks around the world.) Tj ET q 0.86 0.88 0.92 RG 1 w 46 42 m 549.28 42 l S Q BT /F1 8.4 Tf 0.42 0.45 0.5 rg 1 0 0 1 46 30 Tm (TechRounder | Page 3 of 3) Tj ET BT /F1 7.2 Tf 0.42 0.45 0.5 rg 1 0 0 1 46 19 Tm (https://www.techrounder.com/pdf/blog/what-is-an-imsi-number-and-how-is-it-related-to-mcc-and-mnc.pdf) Tj ET endstream endobj xref 0 11 0000000000 65535 f 0000000015 00000 n 0000000064 00000 n 0000000133 00000 n 0000000203 00000 n 0000000278 00000 n 0000000420 00000 n 0000005259 00000 n 0000005401 00000 n 0000009634 00000 n 0000009777 00000 n trailer << /Size 11 /Root 1 0 R >> startxref 13042 %%EOF