NEIR Nears New Launch as BTRC Moves to Rein In Mobile SIM Misuse
The closing weeks of October are shaping up to be a pivotal period for Bangladesh’s mobile telecommunications sector. The long-stalled National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) — opened briefly in the past and subsequently locked — appears set for a full relaunch. Officials are expected to disclose details at a press conference at the BTRC headquarters on 29 October.
Concurrently, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) will begin steps from 30 October to deactivate SIMs registered in excess of ten under a single national identity. At present a single customer may hold up to 15 SIMs; from November the commission will, using a dual-selection process, lock five of the excess SIMs.
Despite these tightening measures to improve citizen security through handset registration and a ten-SIM limit, the BTRC’s own website has been reported as “not secure.” The site reportedly lacks Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protections, exposing data transmitted between browsers and the server to potential interception or hacking. Sources say the website is maintained by the a2i programme under the ICT Division, and BTRC officials have already notified the agency about the vulnerability.
According to sources, the NEIR equipment — purchased for nationwide handset registration — cost BDT 28 crore. The system was briefly active for two weeks in 2021. Subsequent attempts to relaunch NEIR in 2024 and again in 2025 stalled. With the previous three-year contract having expired, responsibility for the system has now been reassigned to a new vendor, and the register will be relaunched in a complete form. Trusted sources indicate that the NEIR will be fully operational from 16 December.
Commenting on the relaunch, Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser overseeing the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, said, “Finally, the NEIR is being implemented to block illegal phones. We are not backing away this time. Unlike in the past, there is no scope now to compromise the state’s interests for the sake of any special group.”
Earlier, BTRC extended the deadlines twice to allow customers time to de-register SIMs exceeding the ten-SIM limit, and the commission has introduced an automated deregistration system. Subscribers can check how many SIMs are registered against their National ID by dialing *16001# and sending the last four digits of their NID.
As the regulator moves to rein in illicit handset use and tighten SIM registration, the sector now awaits the official clarifications due at the BTRC press briefing on 29 October and the declared full NEIR launch on 16 December.
