ILLEGAL handsets started to be cut off from network connectivity from Friday as the government wants to curb duty-dodging while importing mobile phones, which also undercuts the competitiveness of the locally assembled sets. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on July 1 last installed the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR), a central database for International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) inbuilt in mobile phones. At present, the import tariff for smartphones amounts to about 57 per cent, while for feature phones it is about 35 per cent. In preparation for the rollout of the NEIR, the telecom regulator has registered all handsets in use in the local networks up to June 30. The trial period of NEIR, which was developed by Synesis IT, ended Thursday.
Between July 1 and September 30, 1.08 crore handsets were activated in Bangladesh. Of them, the proof of import of 29 percent of them is yet to be established. All shops that sell mobile phones should hang the notice of how to verify the legitimacy of the handsets. If anyone sells illegal handsets, the seller has to refund the price of the handset as per the customer’s claim, the telecom watchdog said, adding that legal action will be taken against the retailers of illegal handsets. Those who bought handsets abroad for personal use or received them as gifts have been urged to register those.
Cracking illegal handsets that evade tax is a good initiative, but those who are using the illegal sets should not suffer as they bought sets from the local market and the government failed to control illegal sales. And the people are not well aware about how to check whether the handsets are legal or not. We call the government to take awareness drives to illegal mobile import and selling points, so that consumers are not dodged.
