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Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has launched the NOC Automation and IMEI Database (NAID) service to prevent the import of illegal mobile phones.
Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Mustafa Jabbar on Tuesday officially inaugurated the service at BTRC Bhaban in the city on Tuesday, reports UNB.
The minister said the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Association (BMPIA) provided financial help to launch the database.
"It will prevent invasion of illegal phones to the local market and eventually will increase the revenue collection in a large amount as well as prevent stealing of mobile phones in the country," he added.
From now on, customers intending to purchase a device can get the 15-digit IMEI number by dialling *#06# from the handset.
The legality of the handset can be checked by sending an SMS with the IMEI to 16002 and through a return SMS cell phone users will be able to know whether their sets have been imported through a legal channel.
The telecom regulator has already built a database of International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number of mobile sets which have been legally imported since January 2018.
Earlier on Monday, Zakir Hossain Khan, BTRC senior assistant director, told UNB that with the BTRC database, users will be able to lock their stolen phones if their IMEI numbers are included in the databank.
Acting secretary of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministry Ashok Kumar Biswash, BTRC Chairman Jahurul Haque, BMPIA president Ruhul Alam Mahbub and other top officials of the ministry, among others, were present at the launching ceremony.