NEIR launches 1 January: illegal handsets to be identified, but not all clone phones blocked in first phase

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is set to launch the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) system from 1 January next year to control the use of illegal and stolen mobile phones. Through the system, illegal handsets will be identified and their sale and use brought under control.

However, not all illegal phones will stop working in the first phase itself. The regulator has said it will not be possible to block all clone mobile phones running on the same IMEI number in the first phase.

The decision to launch NEIR was taken recently at a BTRC commission meeting, following a recommendation from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The system was earlier launched on a trial basis in 2021. This time, in its third attempt, the BTRC is going to implement it formally.

Under the BTRC's decision, the core facilities of NEIR will be rolled out in the first phase, through which illegal mobile phones will be identified and steps taken to control their use and trade. But the practice of running multiple handsets on a single IMEI number cannot be fully controlled in this phase.

In the second phase, a de-registration facility for mobile phones is planned. This will make it easier to identify the real owner of a phone and update ownership change information. However, no date has yet been fixed for launching the second phase.

The minutes of the commission meeting said clone handsets used in criminal activities cannot be fully blocked in the first phase. The commission hopes, however, that the second phase will bring a permanent solution to the problem.

Phones currently active on mobile networks have automatically been included in NEIR. Importers have also been given the opportunity to submit the IMEI numbers and necessary information of unsold mobile phones in their stock.

Before launching the new system, the BTRC plans to run an awareness campaign for at least two months among customers and traders. Customers are therefore expected to get a chance to know the status of their phones before the January launch.

Rehan Asif Asad, the prime minister's adviser on telecommunications and information technology, told the media that the government wants to stop the use of illegal mobile phones — but there will be no rush. An effective solution will be worked out in consultation with all parties, so that the initiative does not fail like before, he said.

He added that the NEIR system is being implemented considering the interests of all stakeholders, including traders, entrepreneurs, the National Board of Revenue (NBR), the government and customers.

A large market of smuggled and clone handsets has long been active in the country, costing the government revenue while also fuelling criminal use of stolen phones. Once NEIR takes effect, the IMEI of every handset on the network can be verified to separate legal devices from illegal ones.

It remains to be seen how much impact the first phase has on the illegal handset market after 1 January, and how quickly the promise of fully blocking clone phones in the second phase is fulfilled.