State Minister for Posts and Telecommunication Tarana Halim announced on Wednesday that mobile handset registration is set to begin from February in the New Year. She made the announcement during the inauguration ceremony of the biometric SIM registration process held at the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in Dhaka.
“The telecom regulator will issue a directive to register the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number of mobile handsets in February,” Tarana Halim said. She added that completing this registration alongside biometric SIM registration would help ensure digital identity.
The system is being introduced to combat frequent crimes involving counterfeit mobile handsets. However, the state minister did not clarify the exact process for handset registration.
Officials from BTRC noted that users will be required to visit customer care centers to register their mobile handsets.
Meanwhile, the government launched the biometric SIM registration system on the same day, which will continue over the next four months.
Telecom experts commented that once both biometric SIM registration and handset IMEI registration are complete, law enforcement agencies will more easily identify and apprehend criminals by linking SIM numbers with IMEI numbers.
