‘Illegal’ mobile phone sets to remain operational, says govt

Considering the woefulness of the users, the government has decided to back off from taking actions against what they called ‘illegal phone sets’ across the country.

Therefore, no phone set will go dead anymore.

According to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, the government is making some amendments to the system of National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR).

In this case, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has been instructed not to turn off any mobile phone.

It has been said for so long that the illegally imported mobile phone sets will be detected and made off-grid.

The National Equipment Identity Register system was introduced in the country on July 1 on an experimental basis. The BTRC officially launched the system from October 1.

Illegally imported mobile phones were being identified after the system was launched. Owners of those phone sets were asked to register with the regulatory authority with the proof of purchase.

But many people were talking about their torments in the registration process as those sets were being gifted or purchased abroad.

A database of mobile phones has been created through the NEIR system. If the National Board of Revenue (NBR) wants to prevent revenue evasion, BTRC will be able to provide information about any legal and illegal calls.

At the end of last August, the number of mobile phone subscribers in Bangladesh stood at just over 17.86 crore. As per BTRC, the number of active sets in the network is about 23 crore.

The total tax on smartphone import in the country is 57 percent. As a result, the difference between the price of legally imported and illegally imported phones is much more. Only 41 percent of mobile phone users in the country use smartphones.