A group of people vandalised the office of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in Agargaon, Dhaka, around 4:25pm today, amid the launch of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR).
A BTRC official said some people were seen throwing bricks and damaging the office premises.
Earlier, the BTRC postponed the launch and extended the deadline for mobile handset dealers to submit information on unsold or stable devices until December 31, 2025.
Expatriates will be allowed to bring two new handsets in addition to their used one, and will have a three-month grace period to register them with NEIR. During this period, the handsets will not be blocked. These handsets can be registered in the NEIR using travel documents.
Previously, the Posts and Telecommunications Division granted a three-month delay to NEIR launch after handset sellers, affected by the blocking of grey-market devices, staged a protest at the Karwan Bazar intersection in Dhaka on December 10.
The BTRC says NEIR was introduced to curb illegal handsets, block stolen phones, and bring order to Bangladesh's fragmented mobile market.
Technically, NEIR links three identifiers -- IMEI, SIM (subscriber identity module) number, and IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) -- to determine network access. It does not intercept calls, read messages, or monitor internet activity.
Concerns remain because NEIR permanently links devices and SIMs in a central database, creating a strong digital identity that could enable tracing through metadata if combined with other systems.
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