Mobile services may face brief disruption during NEIR test on Sunday

The trial, scheduled from 10am to 12pm, is part of preparations for full enforcement of the handset registration system from March

Mobile phone connections may be temporarily disrupted during a trial run of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) system.

The test will be conducted from 10am to 12pm on Sunday as part of preparations to fully implement the system from March, the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) said.

In a statement, AMTOB said some customers may experience temporary disconnection if SIM cards are used in handsets that are not properly registered under the NEIR system.

“Due to the trial run of the NEIR system from 10am to 12pm on Sunday, some customers’ mobile connections may be temporarily disconnected from the network if SIMs are used in handsets without registration,” the organisation said.

“However, any disconnected connections will be automatically restored after the test ends.”

Traders have been allowed to sell mobile phones already brought into the country through unofficial channels until Mar 15. The system is scheduled to be fully enforced from that date.

Once implemented, phones sold without official approval -- often referred to as "unofficial" devices -- will no longer be able to connect to local mobile networks.

The government says some traders have been bringing low-quality, stolen and used phones into the country through smuggling and luggage channels. As these devices are not registered with authorities, they are often used in fraud, financial crimes and other criminal activities.