!!! Overview
[{$pagename}] ([TAC]) is an [Unique Identifier] of the [Mobile Device] and an initial eight-[digit] portion of the 15-digit [International Mobile Equipment Identity] ([IMEI]) and 16-digit [IMEI Software Version] ([IMEISV]) code].[{$pagename}] identifies a particular model (and often revision) of wireless telephone for use on a [GSM], [UMTS] or other [IMEI]-employing wireless network.

The first two digits of the [{$pagename}] are the [Reporting Body Identifier]. This indicates the [GSMA]-approved group that allocated the [{$pagename}].

!! January 1, [2003|Year 2003] Changes
Prior to January 1, 2003, the global standard for the [IMEI] started with a six-digit Type Approval Code followed by a two-digit [Final Assembly Code] ([FAC]). The Type Approval Code (also known as [TAC]) indicated that the particular device was approved by a national [GSM] approval body and the [FAC] identified the company that had built and assembled the device (which is not always the same as the brand name stamped on the device).

Effective January 1, 2003, many [GSM] member nations and entities (mainly Europe) moved away from requiring that devices be approved by national bodies, and towards a system where device manufacturers self-regulate the device market. As a result, a manufacturer now simply requests an eight-digit [{$pagename}] for a new phone model from the international [GSM] standards body, instead of submitting a device for approval to a national review body.

Both the old and new [{$pagename}] uniquely identify a model of phone, although some models may have more than one code, depending on revision, manufacturing location, and other factors.

!! More Information
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