No mobile phone purchased before December 16 will be blocked under the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) system, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Commissioner Mahmud Hossain said on Thursday.
Speaking as the chief guest at a seminar organized by the Telecom and Technology Reporter’s Network, Bangladesh (TRNB), he said measures are being taken to bring all existing handsets in the market under legal channels to ensure public security. “A full solution will come by December,” he added.
“Network quality depends significantly on the quality of mobile handsets. After the NEIR rollout, the commitment given by traders to keep prices unchanged must be upheld,” he said, stressing the need to eliminate misinformation and confusion.
The NEIR service, aimed at restoring market discipline and enhancing security, is scheduled to be launched on Victory Day. Business representatives dismissed fears that handset prices might rise following the rollout, assuring that prices will remain unchanged.
When asked about the security of the NEIR system, BTRC Director-General Aminul Haque said: “It’s not impossible—unless the BTRC DG himself is compromised! Once NEIR is launched, customers will be able to block lost or stolen phones from home.”
Mobile Phone Industrial Owners of Bangladesh (MIOB) President Jakaria Shahid emphasized that NEIR is a national security matter and not a private initiative. “No one can oppose it unless they have ulterior motives,” he said, adding that a more flexible tax structure is needed to increase mobile phone penetration. “Businesses do not want to operate outside the law,” he noted, while urging authorities to avoid excessive restrictions imposed in the name of protecting local industries.
Abdullah Al Harun Raju, President of the Distributor Association, said only a very small number—around 500 to 1,000 people—are involved in grey-market phone trading. “Out of 20,000 sales workers, around 18,000 sell legally channeled phones,” he said.
