The government is going to take initiatives for mobile handset registration in May in line with creating an International Mobile Equipment Identity database to stop criminal activities, said Tarana Halim, state minister for Post and Telecommunications.
The IMEI will help law enforcement agencies to locate handsets and nab criminals, she said, adding that drive against illegal handset will continue.
“We have already started mobile SIM re-registration process which will end by April. After that mobile handset registration would begin in May,” Tarana said.
The junior minister was speaking at a round table held in the capital yesterday on “Mobile devices and its role in national security” organised by Telecom Reporters Network, Bangladesh (TRNB).
Rashed Mehdi, acting president of TRNB, conducted the discussion while Muhammad Zahidul Islam Sajal, general secretary of the organisation, was present as a keynote speaker.
By introducing SIM re-registration, the government will complete half the process regarding security issues, said the junior minister.
“If we are able to introduce handset registration system, the entire security system will come under a single umbrella.”
If needed, the government will set up a separate wing in the regulatory body for the handset database, she added.
The restriction on Facebook remains in force in the best interest of people’s security, said the state minister.
She added that the Facebook users using the social networking site in alternative way ignoring restriction are being monitored.
Attending the round-table discussion as special guest, Dr Shahjahan Mahmood, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), said in developed countries like USA and UK, both SIM and handset are properly registered.