The cellular industry players are planning to launch a new nationwide database that is aimed at preventing people from using stolen smartphones.

Cellphone providers, police, regulators and legislators have come together to address the problem of increasing smartphone theft. The new nationwide database will be backed by a bill proposed by Sen. Charles Schumer and this will make it illegal to avoid the database.

According to the latest data with the police, the theft of smartphones accounted for between 30% and 40% of all robberies in 2011 in major U. S. cities. There were an estimated 27,000 thefts of smarptohnes in the year. The data shows that more than 40% of all robberies in New York City is linked to expensive smarytphones.

Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski said, "It is a big crime trend, and that is what the police chiefs brought to our attention."

The telecom service providers in the country have given their support for the database. The database, which is likely to be fully operational in 18 months, will prevent the use of stolen smartphones on other networks in the U. S. or globally.

Genachowski added that the police chiefs believe that the new database will result in lower black market value of the smarptohnes and will reduce the number of thefts.