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Published : 03 Jan 2026, 06:25 PM
The interim government has released what it describes as alarming data on fake or “cloned mobile phones” following the rollout of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR).
In an official statement on Saturday, authorities said millions of handsets using duplicate or fake IMEI numbers are active across the country’s networks, but no immediate disconnection will take place.
Data compiled over the last decade show that a single IMEI number -- 99999999999999 -- has been used by about 39.1 million mobile phones.
Other major duplicates include:
• 1.95 million devices using IMEI 440015202000.
• 1.75 million devices using IMEI 35227301738634.
• 1.52 million devices using IMEI 35275101952326.
• 586,331 devices using a single-digit zero (0).
The government said these handsets are active across the networks of all four mobile operators and are spread throughout the country.
Instead of disconnecting them, the phones will be temporarily tagged as “grey”.
The information note said no step would be taken that could cause inconvenience to public life.
FRAUD CONCERN
Quoting a 2024 Bangladesh Bank report, the statement said 73 percent of digital fraud in the country takes place using unregistered devices.
The government views the sale of counterfeit phones as "unofficial" imports as an "unprecedented" scam, noting that curbing this practice is essential for both public interest and preventing tax evasion.
NEIR
The NEIR system was introduced to curb tax evasion and prevent the entry of low-quality mobile phones into the country.
Once the mandatory handset registration system is fully enforced, only government-approved legal devices will be allowed to connect to mobile networks.
The government, however, reiterated that no phone in use before the NEIR rollout will be disconnected.
PROTESTS
The system was initially scheduled to be launched on Victory Day, Dec 16, 2025, a move that touched off protests by mobile phone traders.
On Dec 7, traders surrounded the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) office and blocked roads throughout the day.
The BTRC later postponed the launch by 15 days, setting Jan 1 as the new date.
On Thursday, the day the system went live, a group of mobile phone traders carried out an attack and vandalism at the BTRC office.
A court later sent 45 arrested traders to jail the following day.
TECHNICAL ERRORS
Since the system's launch, many users reported seeing an excessive number of handsets registered against their National ID (NID) on social media.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, special assistant to the chief advisor on ICT, said resolving the issue would take some time.
He said no illegal or clone handset would be disconnected within the next 90 days, even after NEIR came into operation.
Explaining the high number of devices shown under a single NID, he said: “We have received more than three billion data sets from operators. This means operators uploaded everything into the system, including historical data.
“As the migration date is shown as the current date, many people are seeing a higher number of active SIMs or handsets under their NID.”
He said the BTRC and mobile operators are working jointly on the issue.
“Gradually, historical data will be archived in the background and only currently active handsets will be shown. This will take some time,” Taiyeb added.
