Vaezi: The Mobile Phone Registration Plan Will Be Implemented After Issues Are Resolved

Mahmoud Vaezi, Iran's Minister of Communications, stated during the inauguration of the first phase of the 'National Information Network' that the mobile phone registration plan will be implemented 'after issues are resolved.' Mr. Vaezi had previously mentioned that his ministry was 'tasked' with operationalizing this plan. On September 6, he told reporters that the 'pilot' of this plan had been handed over to mobile service providers, who have begun their work. Mr. Vaezi did not specify when this plan would become mandatory, but emphasized that it had failed twice in previous administrations, while the current government is 'determined to implement this plan under the right conditions.' A month ago, Mahmoud Vaezi stated, 'We were reluctant to take responsibility in this area, but due to our relationship with mobile operators, we were tasked with accepting this responsibility.' He now says, 'We will implement it when the conditions are right.' The registration plan, or 'registering' mobile phones, involves entering the unique codes of phones into the service provider's network. This is intended to ensure that phones imported through customs and with normal duties remain active, while the operation of 'new phones' that have been smuggled will be halted. Initial steps to implement this plan were taken in 2006 but were stopped in less than a year. Almost a decade later, the head of the Iranian Telecommunications and Communications Union reported the plan's 'failure.' Nevertheless, it seems that pressure continues on the Iranian Ministry of Communications to implement this plan. Critics of the plan argue that it could lead to increased mobile phone prices. Supporters claim that 'registration' can prevent the smuggling of phones or the sale of counterfeit devices. The Iranian parliament estimated in 2014 that '90 percent' of mobile phone imports were conducted 'informally.'