Mobile phone database to stop theft, illegal import
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is going to launch a database of information on mobile phone handsets to prevent theft and illegal import.
Stolen mobile phones can be disabled once the database is launched on Tuesday, BTRC spokesman Zakir Hossain Khan told bdnews24.com on Monday.
The other details of the services such as how the users will be able to know whether their handsets are on the database will be revealed during the launch, Zakir said.
Earlier, the telecom regulator said it had moved to crack down on illegal mobile handsets.
Once the process starts, any SIM other than the one specified with the handset will no longer work on it.
After some time, all SIMs will become inactive on the handsets. As a result, customers will be forced to stop using fake or illegal handsets.
Although there are no official figures, there are an estimated 30 million illegal handsets in Bangladesh.
The BTRC says it has taken the initiative to prevent illegal imports, cloning, theft, health risks, to ensure security and prevent loss of revenue.
People related to the telecom sector hope the rate of using mobile phones in crimes will drop once the database is launched.
The BTRC gave the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Association or BMPI the nod to create and preserve a database of information on all imported handsets in May last year.
A test run of the database had been conducted earlier. Now the commission is going to officially launch it.
The database is being launched following the recently released draft guidelines of the Equipment Identity Register, or EIR, for mobile phone operators.
According to the draft guidelines, operators will create this database with the IMEI numbers of all mobile handsets as per their licence policy. There will be three categories in the database -- black, white and grey.
Under the draft guidelines, 'white' means all types of legally imported handsets, legally made handsets in the country and registered handsets of BTRC.
'Grey' means suspicious mobile handsets. These will work on specific SIMs, but the operators will be warned about these handsets.
'Black' means the IMEI numbers of stolen handsets, expired IMEI and fake IMEIs.
According to the policy, handsets that are cloned, illegal and fake, illegally imported but currently operating on a mobile network, may be registered according to the operator’s SIM. Users will be given the opportunity to register their handsets within a specified time.
These handsets will be on the 'grey' list. Owners of such sets will be given a deadline to register by the BTRC.
Operators will have to implement the EIR system within two months of the directive being issued.
If someone receives a handset as a gift from abroad, they can register the handset at the customer service centre by showing the proof of purchase.
If anybody wants to sell a handset, they can go to a customer care centre and deregister the IMEI numbers from their NIDs. The person who will buy the handset will be able to register the handset in his name.
The customers will be able to register handsets by showing their purchase receipts or required papers without a SIM.
Through EIR modules, operators can control stolen mobiles, fraudulent and cloned handset networks. If any handset gets stolen, the customer can file a complaint with a customer service centre and immediately no other SIM will work on the handset, bdnews24 added.
