No one will be allowed to evade taxes and dump millions of phones in country: Taiyeb
The BTRC is also working to simplify the registration process for phones brought from abroad through legal channels, he says
No one will be allowed to evade taxes and dump millions of illegally imported mobile phones in the country a year in advance, said Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, special assistant to the chief adviser on posts, telecommunications and information technology ministry.
"We are making it clear. We are not ruining the business of any mobile trader or shop owner. They must sell locally manufactured or legally imported phones and conduct business honestly," he said, according to a press release issued by the ministry today (19 November).
Taiyeb said that currently, "hundreds of thousands of phones are being produced against a single International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) code" and brought into the country.
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Once the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) becomes fully operational, this will no longer be possible, which is why a "mafia circle" is working to obstruct it, he alleged.
To stop "luggage parties," fake HS codes, border smuggling, and per-kg import scams, strict measures will be taken to curb all related digital crimes, he said, adding, "There will be no exceptions."
He noted that discussions have already been held with the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), and the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has been requested to reduce import duties.
"A meeting with the NBR chairman will take place soon. The BTRC has also been asked to request domestic manufacturers to reduce prices so that legal handsets become more affordable for consumers," Taiyeb added.
The BTRC is also working to simplify the registration process for phones brought from abroad through legal channels. All devices active before 16 December will automatically be registered as legal, he said.
"InshaAllah, we will stop cloned, illegally imported and smuggled phones. There will be no leniency," the special assistant added.
He said illegal phones are often linked to numerous crimes — incorrect SIM registration/eKYC and SIM-related fraud, gambling links and MLM scams through bulk SMS, mobile financial service fraud, online gambling and scamming networks, cloned handset operations, patent and royalty violations, tax and duty evasion, smuggled devices from India and China, airport luggage party operations, and obstruction to the growth of the local handset manufacturing industry.
Taiyeb stressed that the issue involves national security, citizen safety, financial integrity and digital governance, adding that law enforcement agencies, Bida, mobile banking providers, banks, the BFIU and the NBR have all raised concerns.
He also noted that countries like India do not allow foreign phones to enter in such large volumes.
"As a regulator, BTRC is not obliged to allow making phone prices cheap by importing high-end phones illegally or via smuggling," he said.
Expatriates may bring one or two phones if they follow regulations and complete registration properly. For more than two phones, separate NBR rules apply, he added.
Taiyeb said suggestions received on simplifying registration, deregistration and re-registration processes for citizens are being given serious consideration.
