The long-awaited National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) service is set to be officially launched across the country on December 16, marking Victory Day, said Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology on Wednesday.
Taiyeb revealed this information while speaking at a press briefing at the BTRC Conference room.
The NEIR system will help curb mobile financial service (MFS) fraud, e-KYC forgery, SIM-related scams, and other digital crimes, according to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).
It will also enhance telecom sector security and ensure government revenue protection.
Taiyeb said most MFS fraud, scams, digital crimes and cases of online sexual harassment are conducted through mobile phones and law enforcers face challenges because one individual can possess multiple SIM cards.
Citing data from Bangladesh Bank, he said 73 percent of MFS-related fraud involves unauthorizsed mobile devices.
“Once implemented, this system will also help reduce mobile phone snatching and prevent an estimated Tk 500 crore in annual revenue losses. “With NEIR in place, grey-market handsets will be blocked from operating,” he said.
Brigadier General Md Aminul Haque, Director General of BTRC Spectrum Division, presented how the NEIR system will function.
He said that mobile handsets connected to towers will be categorised as white, black, grey, or roaming.
All devices currently in use will be automatically registered against their SIM cards once the system goes live — meaning even cloned or illegal phones will be temporarily registered.
When a device changes hands, it must be de-registered through the BTRC website, where the entire process will be managed, he added.
To check handset IMEI validity, users can send a message to 16002 and for registration, messages can be sent to 16161.
