All types of illegal mobile phone sets in Bangladesh will shut off automatically from Friday with an SMS notification to the users, the country’s telecommunications regulator said Thursday.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has taken the decision to stop the use of illegally imported mobile phones.
According to a statement circulated Thursday, BTRC has ensured the receipt or delivery of various government services through registration of each mobile phone by tagging with NID card and registered SIM card, ensuring collection of government revenue by stopping the use of illegally produced or imported mobiles, prevention of theft and misuse of used mobiles.
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The National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) was launched on 1 July to prevent theft and misuse of mobile phones and to provide assistance to law enforcement agencies for the sake of national security, added the BTRC release.
In this regard, the BTRC requested customers to check the validity by sending an SMS – KYD and 15 digit IMEI number from the message option (example - KYD 123456789012345) – to 16002 before buying a new handset.
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They also requested users to complete the registration through http://www.neir.btrc.gov.bd before using legally imported or purchased or gifted mobile phones.
At the same time, the commission urged importers and local mobile phone handset manufacturers not to produce or sell illegal mobile phones. It also requested the vendors to refrain from selling illegal phone sets.