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Shyam Sunder Sikder, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), said this on Thursday during a press conference in the capital.
Also read: Verify handset’s authenticity before buying: BTRC
“The illegal handsets will be blocked from July 1, but we will not disconnect the ones which are in use now,” he said.
“However, all the new mobile phones will have to be registered before reaching the market.”
Also read: Mobile phone users in Bangladesh hit 162.920 mn in April: BTRC
“BTRC plans to launch National Equipment Identification Registrar (NEIR) on July 1 this year. No illegal handsets will be allowed to be used in the country’s telecom network after that,” the BTRC chairman said.
In December last year, BTRC signed an agreement with local company Synesis IT to identify and disconnect handsets that were brought to the country illegally and also to register the legal ones.
Also read: BTRC launches NAID to prevent illegal cellphone import
BTRC Director General (Spectrum) Brigadier General Md Shahidul Alam said, “The NEIR process is underway and it will allow the customers to check the legality of their sets, too.”
From January 16, mobile operators will manually inform the subscribers about the sets that have International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI). Also, everyone will have to register their handsets.
Also read: 7 held with illegal phones in joint drive by BTRC-RAB