Bangladesh Plans Registration For All PrePay Handsets
Bangladesh is planning to join the increasing number of countries that will require all PrePay handsets to be registered so that the authorities can track handset ownership. The move is being promoted in an effort to clamp down of the use of unregisterd mobile phones by local terrorists. The country's five network operators were told of the Government's plan last Thursday, at a meeting which was also attended by the regulator, the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission and intelligence officials.
There have been reports that the illegal militant group Jamayetul Mujahideen has used mobile phones to plan their terrorist activities and is said to have a pool of some 30 mobile phones used in rotation.
The government says that the plans will go into effect shortly, without citing an exact date.
Jamayetul Mujahideen, a group led by Rahman, an Afghan war veteran, has been blamed for more than 400 synchronised blasts across Bangladesh last August, and a series of subsequent bombings, including several suicide attacks. A total of 28 people have died including four suicide bombers.
PrePay dominates the market. The Mobile World reports that Grameen Phone, with 57% of the market share had some 3.8 million customers connected to PrePay tariffs, representing over 91% of their subscriber base."
Posted to the site on 23rd January 2006
