Illegal Mobile Handsets to Be Shut Down Soon, Says BTRC

 

Dhaka: The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has announced that illegal mobile handsets used in the country will soon be disconnected from the network.

This decision comes following directives from the newly appointed Minister of State for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, Junaid Ahmed Palak.

On Sunday (January 21), the Director of the Spectrum Department at BTRC, Md. Sohail Rana, issued a circular informing about this development.

The initiative, named NEIR (National Equipment Identity Register), has been launched to link each mobile phone with a BTRC national identity and registered SIM card. This measure aims to ensure the receipt and provision of various government services while preventing the use of illegally manufactured or imported mobile phones. Additionally, it seeks to facilitate government revenue collection and curb theft and illegal usage of second-hand mobile phones.

NEIR will soon commence operations to disconnect illegal mobile phones from the network. In light of this, individuals are urged to verify the validity of mobile handsets before making purchases.

To check the validity of a mobile handset, individuals can send a text message with the format "KYD <space> 15 digit IMEI number" (Example: KYD 123456789012345) to 16002.

During a meeting at BTRC on January 16, Minister Junaid Ahmed Palak announced the ban on unregistered mobile phones in the country.