Dhaka, Jan. 2 -- The government has slashed customs duty on mobile phone imports from 25 per cent to 10 per cent, marking a nearly 60 per cent reduction, as the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) officially came into operation on Thursday.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Advisory Council, which also approved a reduction in duty for locally manufactured handsets from 10 per cent to 5 per cent - a cut of 50 per cent - in a bid to stabilise prices, encourage legal imports and support domestic production.

The government said the move fulfils its earlier commitment that NEIR would be enforced only after rationalising taxes on mobile phones. Officials expect the decision to make handset prices more affordable while bringin...