NEIR Rollout Targets Tk 2,000cr Revenue Loss From Illegal Phones

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has drawn up a two-phase plan to reactivate the National Equipment Identification Register (NEIR), with the first phase targeted for January 1, 2027, to curb tax evasion involving illegal mobile handsets and address security risks and financial fraud linked to unregistered and cloned devices.

The proposed rollout aims to tackle estimated annual government revenue losses of Tk 2,000 crore from tax evasion involving illegal handset production, smuggling and unauthorised sales in the domestic market, according to a document from a commission meeting.

Under the first phase, BTRC plans to activate the system’s original features, except for the de-registration mechanism. Handsets already operating on mobile networks will be registered automatically, while IMEI data for unsold handsets held by authorised importers and local manufacturers will also be included.

The system will identify and block illegal, smuggled and tax-evading handsets brought into the country from abroad.

The second phase will introduce de-registration at an appropriate time to verify handset ownership, curb cloned devices and prevent financial fraud.

A BTRC director general from the SM Division presented a detailed working paper on reactivating NEIR at a commission meeting, noting that key features had remained disabled since the system’s experimental launch on July 1, 2021.

“Following the experimental launch on July 1, 2021, the system was kept operational without the automatic blocking of illegally imported phones and without features to stop clone handsets, as per the decision of the then-government,” the document said.

“As a result, the primary objectives of establishing NEIR are being directly hindered,” it added.

The BTRC’s SM Division will implement the reactivation plan. A formal letter will be sent to the Posts and Telecommunications Division to seek prior government approval for the phased rollout.

The move follows repeated calls from revenue, telecommunications and security authorities for full deployment of the system.

On October 29, 2024, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) formally requested BTRC to activate NEIR to curb tax evasion. The Posts and Telecommunications Division granted initial approval to the reactivation plan on June 28, 2025.

At a high-level inter-ministerial meeting on December 1, 2025, officials directed the full reactivation of NEIR across national networks.

Although the system was prepared for a full rollout on January 1, 2026, its key blocking features were withheld to avoid public inconvenience.

In a formal letter issued on June 9, 2026, security agencies highlighted economic and national security risks and stressed the need for full deployment.

An inter-ministerial meeting on July 2, 2026, discussed vulnerabilities involving IMEI and SIM registration, as well as fraud involving mobile financial services (MFS). The meeting recommended full deployment of NEIR.

At a further high-level meeting chaired by the Home Minister on September 22, 2026, representatives from the Posts and Telecommunications Division, Bangladesh Bank and law enforcement agencies formally recommended a two-phase rollout by January 1, 2027.

According to the meeting decision, unregistered, stolen and cloned handsets are used in organised crime, handset theft and fraudulent MFS transactions. Security agencies consider full deployment necessary to establish accountability for devices operating on mobile networks.

Meanwhile, BTRC has approved a phased roadmap to discontinue 2G-only mobile handsets by December 2029, with restrictions planned on the approval, manufacture, import and marketing of such devices.