Registration of foreign-bought handset urged
City Desk :
Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant on Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb has emphasised the importance of registering mobile handsets brought from abroad, saying that such registration is a standard practice worldwide.
“Mobile phones brought from abroad must be registered, and this is a common rule across the world,” he said in a Facebook post.
He wrote, “It is associated with various issues including wrong SIM registration/eKYC, wrong MFS registration or eKYC, crimes related to SIM, crimes related to mobile financing, online gambling and scamming, crimes involving illegal cloned phones, non-payment of patent and technological royalties, evasion of VAT and customs duties, prevention of illegal import of unpacked mobile phones from India and China, prevention of luggage party and border smuggling, and protection of the local handset manufacturing industry.”
He added, “You will bring mobile phones from abroad following due rules and register them accordingly.”
The special assistant came up with this post following the announcement of introducing the long-awaited National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) service in the country on December 16, marking Victory Day, to ensure that only approved, standard, and legally imported mobile phones remain active in Bangladesh, reports BSS. The announcement was made at a press conference on Wednesday last at BTRC.
He wrote further, “If the SIM registered in your (user) name is used in a phone that has not been cloned, you will never face any trouble. Therefore, always keep your SIM registered under your own name.”
He added, “If the SIM you are using is registered in your own name, the registration process (of the handset) is very simple.”
Taiyeb reaffirmed, “We will stop cloned, illegally imported, and smuggled phones.”
“Expatriates may bring one or two mobile phones from abroad free of duty following the rules and register them accordingly. There will be no complications,” he said, adding, “For more than two phones, there are separate rules under the NBR which require a fee, this is an existing rule.”
The Special Assistant also sought suggestion, saying “Please provide logical suggestions on how the processes of registration, de-registration, and re-registration can be made easier for general citizens.”
As NEIR is going live from December 16, Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has made some process to incorporate the unregistered handset for the convenience of users.
The registration process for mobile handsets purchased or received as gifts from abroad:
A handset legally purchased or received as a gift from abroad will initially remain active on the mobile network. The user will receive an SMS instruction to submit the required information online within 30 days. After verification of the submitted information, only valid handsets will be registered and allowed to stay active on the network.
For users without internet access, BTRC has arranged verification and registration support through mobile operators’ customer care centers and the USSD code *16161#.
Officials said all handsets already in use before December 16 will be automatically registered, and no separate process will be required for existing users.
The BTRC also reminded consumers to use only handsets with verified IMEI numbers to help prevent fraud, theft, and cybercrime, ensuring a more secure digital ecosystem for the country.