MCC (Mobile Country Code)

The Mobile Country Code is a three-digit number assigned by the ITU-T E.212 standard that identifies the country of a mobile network. Combined with the Mobile Network Code (MNC), it forms the PLMN-ID broadcast on every cell and used in the IMSI/SUPI to indicate the home country and operator.

Categories: Radio Access NetworkIdentity and SubscriberProtocols and Standards

MCC in context

The radio access network is where mobile devices attach to the operator's infrastructure. Attacks in this layer include IMSI catching, rogue base stations and downgrade attacks; defenses rest on mutual authentication, integrity-protected signaling and Open RAN supply-chain hygiene.

Subscriber identifiers (IMSI, SUPI, MSISDN, IMEI) anchor authentication, charging and lawful interception. Any protocol that leaks a permanent identifier is treated as a privacy defect, which is why 5G introduced SUCI concealment on the air interface.

To place MCC in the wider telecom-security picture, review ADSL, NB-IoT, TAC, 2G, 5GNR and 6G — each entry cross-references back to this page so you can walk the topic in either direction.

Related terms

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