Bangladesh Launches National Equipment Identity Register

Bangladesh is introducing a new system called NEIR to register all mobile phones in the country.

This system checks each phone's unique ID (IMEI) to make sure it was legally brought into the country.

Phones already registered will be automatically added, but new or foreign phones will need to be registered separately.

The system also links phones to the user's national ID and limits the number of SIM cards that can be used with one ID.

The goal is to stop illegal phone sales, reduce fraud, and make it easier to track phones used in crimes.

However, some traders are worried because the system might make their business harder.

The launch was delayed to give traders more time to prepare.