By this time next year, it will be more difficult for thieves to steal smartphones and sell them to someone else.

On Thursday, the Canadian Wireless and Telecommunications Association announced its carriers are setting up a system which would blacklist lost of stolen smartphones and prevent them from being reactivated by another company.  

A database will be set up which will include every smartphone in the country, and if yours is lost or stolen, it will be blocked, making it useless to anyone trying to sell it on the black market.

Police are applauding the move, as they say cell phone thefts are on the rise across the country and can sometimes be violent.

“It was too simple. A stolen smartphone could be reactivated on another wireless carrier’s network, no questions asked. With these actions, that stops,” said Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police president Jim Chu.

“We want the criminals to know there’s no more easy money when you rob someone of their cell phone. They can’t make any money off of it, that they’re not going to be committing those crimes.”

Bernard Lord, the CWTA’s president, said they are also in the process of setting up a resource website for Canadians “to educate themselves about how to secure their data, as well as how to help protect themselves from being a victim.”

The new system is expected to be in place by Sep. 30 of next year and will cost $20-million. However, that cost won’t be downloaded onto consumers.

“There’s no plan to raise fees or costs to consumers. I guess we have to consider this as a cost of doing business,” said Lord.