Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Kabul Tursunov, Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Budget and Economic Affairs, has sent an official senator inquiry to the Minister of Digital Technologies, Sherzod Shermatov, amid growing public complaints regarding the registration of mobile devices in the UZIMEI system.

The inquiry emphasizes that since 2019, Uzbekistan has implemented a system for registering mobile phones by their IMEI codes. In 2024, new requirements were introduced, mandating the mandatory completion of a declaration when importing devices into the country. Failure to comply with this procedure obliges users to pay a registration fee amounting to 30% of the device’s customs value.

The document notes an increasing number of reports on social media about difficulties in completing the registration process, especially through electronic platforms such as uzimei.uz, my.gov.uz, and the “BIRDA” mobile application. In some cases, users have been charged artificially inflated fees, causing justified dissatisfaction among citizens.

Additionally, the senator highlighted the bureaucratic complexity and redundancy of requiring separate registration of the IMEI2 code for dual-SIM devices, with the stipulation that this procedure must be conducted exclusively at the place of initial registration. These provisions create additional financial and organizational barriers for users.

Based on Article 15 of the Law "On Parliamentary Control," Kabul Tursunov requested a detailed explanation from the minister within 10 days regarding the measures being taken to:

— eliminate technical malfunctions and shortcomings hindering the full functioning of the aforementioned digital services;

— prevent unjustified increases in service costs;

— simplify IMEI registration procedures, including removing territorial restrictions and the need for separate registration of the second IMEI.

This parliamentary initiative aims to protect citizens’ rights, enhance transparency and accessibility of digital services, and eliminate excessive administrative barriers in the use of modern technologies.