No phone will be blocked for 90 days even after NEIR launch, says Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb as website glitches

Urging people not to panic, Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb, special assistant to the chief adviser for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, has said mobile handsets will not be disconnected for the next 90 days despite the launch of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR). 

Meanwhile, many users are facing difficulties accessing the NEIR portal of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), just a day after it was launched.

However, Taiyeb says it was expected.

In a statement issued today (2 January), he said telecom operators have already submitted more than three billion datasets to the system, including historical data. As a result, many users are currently seeing a higher number of active SIMs or handsets linked to their NID, as the migration date is being reflected as the present date.

He said the BTRC and mobile operators are working jointly on the issue, and that historical data will gradually be archived in the background. Eventually, only currently active handsets will be shown, a process that will take some time.

Thanking users for pointing out errors and issues related to NEIR, Taiyeb acknowledged that technical complications are common in the early stages of such platforms and said these would be resolved.

He added that although a VAPT (Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing) had been conducted earlier, a fresh VAPT has now been ordered.

Taiyeb clarified that NEIR is not a newly installed system, noting that it was first attempted to be launched in 2021 and has now been made operational with added functional features.

He also explained that previously one NID holder was allowed to use up to 20 SIMs, later reduced to 15, and now being brought down to 10. This is why NEIR mapping is showing a higher number of handsets against many NIDs.

According to him, the system will help raise public awareness by allowing individuals to know how many SIMs and devices were registered against their NID, and whether those SIMs or devices are linked to mobile banking fraud or online gambling-related financial crimes, which he described as a citizen's right.

On data security, Taiyeb said measures have been taken to protect the database, including the use of secure digital tokens (JWT), rate limiting, and stricter API controls. He said accessing data now requires an NID, and IMEI information can be obtained against that NID. As an added safeguard, instructions have been given to introduce another security layer.

He sought some time to fully resolve the issues and thanked users in advance for their patience.

Many users unable to access NEIR portal 

Since yesterday, users have been trying for hours to check whether their handsets are registered in the BTRC system, but many have failed to gain access. Several users have shared screenshots and links to the BTRC website on social media, complaining about repeated access failures. Some users who managed to log in reported discrepancies in the information shown, including multiple handsets appearing to be registered against a single NID.

When contacted, Faiez Ahmed Taiyeb said initial technical issues were expected with the launch of a new system.

"As it is newly launched, some issues have emerged. BTRC is working to resolve them. Since a large number of people are trying to access the portal at the same time, access-related issues are occurring. These will be resolved soon," he said.