After several delays over the past five years, the long-awaited National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) will be officially launched on 16 December, marking Victory Day.
Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant for Posts, Telecommunications and ICT Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb announced the decision at a press conference held on Wednesday at the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) headquarters in Dhaka.
He said the NEIR system will play a crucial role in preventing mobile financial service (MFS) fraud, e-KYC forgery, SIM-related scams, and other digital crimes. “Most MFS fraud, digital crimes, and cases of online sexual harassment are committed using mobile phones. This poses a challenge for law enforcement agencies as individuals can use multiple SIM cards,” he said.
Citing Bangladesh Bank data, he noted that nearly 73 percent of MFS-related fraud occurs through unauthorised mobile devices. “Once implemented, NEIR will help reduce mobile phone theft and prevent an estimated Tk 500 crore in annual revenue losses. Illegal handsets from the grey market will no longer function on local networks,” he added.
According to the BTRC, the NEIR initiative will enhance telecom security and play an important role in protecting government revenue.
Explaining how the system will operate, BTRC Spectrum Division Director General Brigadier General Md Aminul Hoque said all cloned and illegally imported handsets already active on the network will be treated as valid on the activation day. “All SIMs active before the launch will continue to work on those specific devices,” he said.
He said NEIR will allow separate registration for authorised foreign handsets, while stolen or lost phones can be blocked from the network. Users will also be able to verify a handset’s registration status online.
All connected devices will be categorised into four groups — white, black, grey, and roaming — to maintain network integrity.
A device ownership transfer will require de-registration through the BTRC website, with the entire process to be completed online.
Aminul Haque also announced that an individual will be allowed to register a maximum of 10 SIM cards, down from the current limit of 15, adding that the limit may be further reduced in the future to strengthen identity verification and curb misuse.
