Special Registration Opens for Personally Imported Mobile Phones from January 1

To strengthen digital security and curb the use of illegal mobile phones, the government is set to introduce a special registration facility for personally purchased or gifted mobile handsets brought from abroad, effective January 1.

Under the new initiative, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has enabled users to self-register mobile phones imported from overseas. The entire registration process can be completed in just five minutes.

On December 28 (Sunday), BTRC sent SMS notifications to mobile users urging them to complete the registration easily. To do so, users must visit the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) portal and submit their National ID details along with the handset’s IMEI number.

Once the necessary verification is completed, the registered handset will be allowed to operate seamlessly across all mobile networks in the country.

The facility applies to mobile phones brought in for personal use after foreign travel, handsets sent or gifted by expatriate relatives, and previously unregistered but legally acquired devices. However, a different procedure will apply in cases of commercial imports.

According to sources, mobile phones personally brought from abroad had long been used without registration, increasing risks to national network security, complicating the identification of stolen or illegal devices, and creating challenges in revenue management. Considering these concerns, BTRC has decided to roll out this special registration facility in a limited yet regulated manner.

DBTech/MUM/OR