BTRC vows to keep handset prices stable after NEIR launch
The telecom regulator will remain vigilant to ensure that local mobile manufacturers do not hike handset prices after the launch of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR), said Mahmud Hossain, commissioner of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).
He said the BTRC is already monitoring current handset prices in the market.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "It is keeping detailed records of how much each handset model costs right now, so that no one can increase prices after the NEIR launch," he said.
Hossain spoke at a seminar titled "The Importance of the NEIR System in Ensuring the Use of Legal and Safe Handsets," organised by the Telecom and Technology Reporters' Network Bangladesh (TRNB) at the RAOWA Complex in Dhaka yesterday.
Asked whether NEIR would push up handset prices, he said the BTRC has lifted all restrictions on handset sales by mobile operators through provisions that allow them to sell devices in instalments by locking the device or SIMs.
He expressed hope that after NEIR is launched, manufacturers will increase production volume, which will ultimately bring down handset prices.
Brig Gen Md Aminul Hoque, director general at the BTRC, said a huge number of handsets are currently being cloned in the market.
Citing BTRC's database, he said around 50 lakh handsets are active against only five valid IMEI numbers, indicating widespread cloning.
An IMEI is a unique 15-digit identifier assigned to every mobile device, enabling regulators and operators to track, verify authenticity, block stolen phones, and ensure network access for legal handsets.
Jakaria Shahid, president of the Mobile Phone Industry Owners' Association of Bangladesh (MIOB), pledged that handset prices will not increase after NEIR goes live.
The NEIR system can identify and block stolen, cloned, or unauthorised mobile devices using IMEI verification.
The BTRC announced that the NEIR system will be launched on December 16. All handsets currently in use and connected to mobile networks will remain active, but any unauthorised device purchased after December 16 will be blocked from the network.
Md Raich Uddin Khan, first secretary at the National Board of Revenue; Md Jahidul Islam, additional inspector general of Bangladesh Police; Muhammad Zahidul Islam, vice-president of Nagad; Samir Kumar Dey, president of TRNB; and SM Masuduzzaman Robin, secretary of TRNB, also spoke at the event.
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