The launch of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) system will make the data of mobile phone users and subscribers more secure, while also encouraging local and foreign smartphone manufacturers to produce mobile phones in Bangladesh at lower costs.
Leaders of the Mobile Phone Industry Owners Association of Bangladesh (MIOB) came up with these observations at a press conference held at a hotel in Dhaka today, Tuesday.
Speaking at the press conference, MIOB President Zakaria Shahid said, “The implementation of NEIR is a timely and positive initiative to ensure discipline, transparency, and consumer protection in the country’s mobile phone industry.”
“Through NEIR system, controlling illegal and counterfeit mobile phones will become easier, and a fair and competitive environment for legitimate businesses will be created. We welcome the government for this important initiative.”
MIOB executive committee member and managing director of Smart Technologies Limited, Mohammad Zahirul Islam, said, “We, as entrepreneurs, want people in the country to be able to buy mobile phones at lower prices.”
“We are working to promote mobile phone manufacturing within the country. We hope that the NEIR initiative will strengthen the foundation of the country’s digital economy while also increasing state revenue.”
Xiaomi Bangladesh country manager Ziauddin Chowdhury said that there are 12,952 authorised smartphone sales outlets and shops in the country, of which 4,270 are located in rural areas. Due to the market for unofficial, refurbished, and illegal phones, the government is losing a huge amount of revenue.
With NEIR, identifying and controlling illegal, counterfeit, and stolen mobile phones will become easier. This will ensure security for consumers from urban to rural areas and will stop the use of illegal IMEI numbers. As a result, phone cloning, fraud, and various criminal activities will be significantly reduced. Because of illegal phone trading, the government is losing revenue and entrepreneurs are suffering losses, he added.
At the press conference, MIOB highlighted the long-term positive impact of the recently implemented NEIR system, its consumer benefits, and its role in the country’s mobile phone ecosystem.
MIOB stated that the government’s decision to reduce import duties on smartphones is timely and positive. This initiative will help reduce long-standing irregularities in the mobile phone industry and establish a well-organized market system.
However, many people are engaging in violence in the name of protesting this good initiative. As a result, mobile phone sales centres are closed in various places, and mobile phone manufacturing activities have been halted in several factories, MIOB leaders said.
According to MIOB, at present, more than Tk 30 billion (3,000 crore) has been invested—by both local and foreign entities—in 18 smartphone manufacturing companies in the country.
This sector has created direct employment for 50,000 skilled workers, along with indirect employment for nearly another 50,000 people through dealers, DSRs, service providers, and retail sales, where around 30 per cent of the workforce are women.
The smartphone manufacturing and marketing industry generates a significant amount of government revenue every year through taxes, wages, and utility bills.