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Uzbekistan’s Digital Technologies Ministry Explains Issues with Mobile Phone Registration in UzIMEI System

Uzbekistan’s Digital Technologies Ministry Explains Issues with Mobile Phone Registration in UzIMEI System

Uzbekistan’s Digital Technologies Ministry Explains Issues with Mobile Phone Registration in UzIMEI System

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Ministry of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan has responded to a Senate inquiry regarding problems with registering mobile phones in the UzIMEI system.

Kabool Tursunov, Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Budget and Economic Issues, submitted a request to Minister Sherzod Shermatov, asking for clarification on measures to address technical failures on the uzimei.uz and my.gov.uz platforms, as well as in the BIRDA app, and to ease bureaucratic requirements for IMEI registration.

Minister Shermatov emphasized that additional payments for importing phones without a customs declaration are related not to IMEI registration fees but to customs duties.

He noted that technical glitches on the websites and in the app are promptly resolved, and efforts are underway to ensure stable system operation. All IMEI codes are subject to mandatory registration, with plans to further simplify procedures and reduce bureaucratic barriers.

Since the system’s launch in 2019, the number of officially imported mobile devices has grown from 575,800 to 3.5 million in 2024, while registered IMEI codes increased from 1.6 million to 8.4 million.

The share of official importers reached 80%, and customs payments for imports rose from 37.5 billion soums in 2019 to 621.2 billion soums in 2024. Complaints related to registration dropped nearly elevenfold — from 1,028 in 2021 to just 95 in 2024.

Shermatov also highlighted that following the system’s implementation, official mobile device supplies to Uzbekistan grew from 13,500 in 2018 to 3.5 million in 2024 — a 265-fold increase. Over the same period, customs payments surged from 5.1 billion to 621.2 billion soums, marking a 121-fold rise.

The Digital Technologies Ministry, together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, uses the system to combat cybercrime. A total of 20,300 stolen or lost devices have been blacklisted, 18,800 removed from the list, and 47,400 devices placed under monitoring. In 2025, 154 cases of IMEI cloning of gas meters affecting 298,000 mobile devices were uncovered — these codes were blacklisted, with data shared monthly with the MIA.

In cooperation with the Central Bank, work is underway on the “Mobile-Level Information Security” system, designed to protect users of banking and payment apps, reduce financial losses, and streamline cyber incident investigations.

In one bank alone, during the first 15 days of the system’s operation, more than 2,000 attempts of illegal interference with payment services were prevented.

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