In 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Resolution No. 778, which established the procedure for state registration of IMEI codes for mobile devices and the fees for this service. According to the resolution, importers are required to pay 20% of the base calculation value (BRV), while individuals must pay between 20% and 25%. Failure to do so may result in the phone being blocked within 30 calendar days.

Otbek Azimov, head of the department at the Republican Center for Telecommunications Network Management (the operator of the UzIMEI system), told Gazeta that these fees do not have tax status but are payments for the center's services. He gave an interview on August 24 during the Silk Road Finance & Technology forum.

According to Azimov, 95% of mobile devices are imported by importers, while the remaining 5% are brought in by individuals for personal use. "This creates a foundation for opening official stores and service centers. Foreign manufacturers see that only officially imported phones are used in Uzbekistan and can trust us," he said.

The UzIMEI system has been in operation for nearly 7 years. During this time, Samsung and Xiaomi have opened official stores in Uzbekistan, but Apple has not yet. Azimov stated that negotiations with Apple have been ongoing for over a year. "Apple has its own privacy policy. Once we agree on these issues, an official store will be opened," he said.

According to data provided to Gazeta, more than 97.8 million IMEI codes have been registered since 2019. In the first year, 47.6 million (48.7%) IMEIs were registered automatically and free of charge. The rest were registered for a fee. The most registered devices are Samsung (35.5 million), Xiaomi (18.1 million), Nokia (7.7 million), Apple (5.8 million), and Huawei (2.4 million).

By device type, smartphones lead (72.5 million), followed by push-button phones (20.3 million), tablets (1.4 million), and portable devices (238,000). Devices that have not been registered but are in the process of transfer amount to 366,326, while blocked devices number 20.1 million.

Over this period, more than 3 trillion soums have been paid for IMEI registration. These funds are directed to the state budget, employee salaries, and technical support of the sector. "Calculations show that the money goes to maintaining the system, updating servers, developing communications, including improving quality in remote areas," Azimov explained.

Thanks to UzIMEI, the share of legally imported phones has reached 93%. However, there are no plans to abolish the fees. Akhmadjon Orifjonov, head of the center's press service, said: "If the system is made free, it will need to be supported, which would ultimately 'eat' the budget." He also noted that there are fraudulent schemes on the "black market" for IMEI registration, so everyone can check the code on the website.

How does the process work for importers? Azimov explained that an importer brings in devices, places them in a customs warehouse, and submits an application to UzIMEI. Without payment, they cannot import the phones. "It's even cheaper. The importer pays 17%: 12% VAT and 5% customs fee. Therefore, it's more convenient for importers," he said.

For individuals, duty-free import limits were reduced last year: up to $1,000 for air transport, up to $500 for rail and river transport, and up to $300 for automobile and pedestrian crossings. Additionally, a Face ID system was introduced for IMEI registration to prevent the sale of passport data on the "black market."

Azimov added that when the declaration requirement was introduced, Face ID did not yet exist. It was later added as an additional means of personal identification. He emphasized that the procedure for IMEI registration falls under the jurisdiction of several agencies, so any revision of declaration requirements would require coordination with them.

Over the past 7 years, customs payments for the official import of mobile devices have exceeded 5 trillion soums. It is worth recalling that 4 years ago, Minister of Digital Technologies Sherzod Shermatov stated that UzIMEI should be paid and that it was a tax. "You need to pay taxes. Nothing is free," he said.

Last year, economist Bekhzod Hoshimov argued that abolishing UzIMEI could enrich Uzbek citizens by billions of dollars. He noted that due to IMEI, consumers pay both with money and time.

For reference, the system of mandatory registration of mobile devices using IMEI codes is actually operated by LLC "Information Technology Center." According to open data from the National Statistics Committee, 51% of this company's shares belong to the American company "Delta Telecom International," and the remaining 49% to the Center for Telecommunications Network Management. In 2024, by presidential decree, the state's 49% stake was put up for sale, and the enterprise was announced for full privatization.

Source: www.gazeta.uz