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The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) plans to reactivate the National Equipment Identification Register (NEIR) in two phases from January 1, 2027, to curb tax evasion involving illegal mobile handsets and tackle security risks and financial fraud linked to unregistered and cloned devices.
The proposed initiative aims to address an estimated Tk 2,000 crore in annual government revenue losses from illegal handset production, smuggling and unauthorised sales, according to a document prepared for a commission meeting, citing an assessment by the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
In the first phase, BTRC will activate the system’s original features, except for handset de-registration. Devices already connected to mobile networks will be registered automatically, while IMEI data for unsold handsets held by authorised importers and local manufacturers will also be included.
The system will identify and block illegal, smuggled and tax-evading handsets brought into the country from abroad.
The second phase will introduce a de-registration mechanism at an appropriate time to verify handset ownership, prevent the use of cloned devices and curb financial fraud.
The BTRC director general of the Spectrum Management (SM) division presented a detailed working paper on the reactivation plan at a commission meeting, noting that key features of NEIR had remained disabled since its experimental launch on July 1, 2021.
“Following the experimental launch on July 1, 2021, the system was kept operational without the automatic blocking of illegally imported phones and without features to stop clone handsets, as per the decision of the then-government,” the document said.
“As a result, the primary objectives of establishing NEIR are being directly hindered,” it added.
BTRC’s SM Division will implement the reactivation plan. The commission will formally write to the Posts and Telecommunications Division to secure prior government approval for the phased rollout.
The move follows repeated calls from revenue, telecommunications and security authorities to make the system fully operational.
On October 29, 2024, the NBR formally requested BTRC to activate NEIR to curb tax evasion. The Posts and Telecommunications Division gave initial approval to the reactivation plan on June 28, 2025.
At a high-level inter-ministerial meeting on December 1, 2025, authorities directed the full reactivation of NEIR across national mobile networks.
Although the system was prepared for a full rollout on January 1, 2026, its key blocking features were withheld to avoid public inconvenience.
In a letter issued on June 9, 2026, security agencies highlighted the economic and national security risks associated with unregistered devices and stressed the need for full deployment.
An inter-ministerial meeting on July 2, 2026, discussed vulnerabilities involving IMEI numbers, SIM registration and fraud using mobile financial services (MFS), recommending full deployment of NEIR.
A further high-level meeting, chaired by the home minister on September 22, 2026, and attended by representatives of the Posts and Telecommunications Division, Bangladesh Bank and law enforcement agencies, formally recommended the two-phase rollout by January 1, 2027.
According to the meeting’s decisions, unregistered, stolen and cloned handsets are used in organised crime, handset theft and fraudulent MFS transactions. Security agencies consider full deployment essential to ensure accountability for devices operating on mobile networks.
Meanwhile, BTRC has approved a phased roadmap to discontinue 2G-only mobile handsets by December 2029, including restrictions on their approval, manufacture, import and marketing.