BTRC pledges to ease mobile phone import, vendor enlistment process

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has agreed to ease the process of mobile phone imports and vendor enlistment, following a meeting with representatives of the Mobile Business Community Bangladesh (MBCB) on Tuesday.

The meeting at the BTRC headquarters focused on simplifying documentation requirements and preventing the entry of clone, copy, used and refurbished handsets into the local market, the telecom regulator said in a statement.

After discussions, the regulator decided to simplify vendor enlistment and import approval by reducing paperwork, which was a key demand by MBCB.

Under the revised process, BTRC will grant import approval with certification from the original manufacturer or an attestation from any authorised distributor, even without a formal contract.

BTRC said the change is expected to speed up approvals and strengthen oversight against illegal or unauthorised handset imports.

The decision comes amid weeks of protests by mobile phone traders. Since early November, traders under the MBCB banner have enforced nationwide shop closures and organised demonstrations, including a human chain in the Karwan Bazar-Panthapath area.

On 7 December, traders surrounded the BTRC headquarters in Agargaon for 10 hours, demanding a six-month to one-year delay in the rollout of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) system.

The commission also requested MBCB to submit a comprehensive written proposal outlining further ways to simplify the import process while maintaining strict safeguards to prevent the inflow of non-compliant devices. According to BTRC, such recommendations will help build a more efficient and transparent import ecosystem.

In response to traders’ concerns, BTRC announced a one-time opportunity to regularise all unsold mobile handsets currently available in the market. Traders have been instructed to submit the required information in the prescribed format by 15 December 2025, after which the commission will take necessary steps to formalise and clear these devices.

BTRC confirmed that the NEIR system will take effect on 16 December. Until then, all phones currently on the network -- whether legal or illegal -- will be automatically registered and remain active. After that date, any new unapproved devices will be blocked from the network, the regulator.