Govt to block illegally-imported, smuggled, cloned phones: Taiyeb

The government will block all cloned, illegally imported and smuggled mobile phones, said Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant for the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb on Wednesday.

He said illegal phones are linked to crimes including wrong SIM registration, online scams, bulk SMS fraud, tax and customs evasion, border smuggling, and obstruction to local handset production, according to a press release of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology.

Taiyeb noted that once the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) is fully operational, the illegal use of a single International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) for multiple phones will no longer be possible.

He also said Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is working to simplify registration procedures for phones brought from abroad through legal channels and ensure legal phones become more affordable. 

He mentioned that phones active before December 16 will be registered as valid.

Expatriates can bring one or two phones legally without any problem, while bringing more than two phones will have to follow National Board of Revenue (NBR) rules, he added.