Mobile phone traders block road in Agargaon, demand reforms

Mobile phone traders staged a demonstration by blocking road in front of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) building in Agargaon on Sunday, December 7, demanding reforms to the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) and other measures.

The protest began under the banner of the Bangladesh Mobile Business Community around 10:00 am, disrupting traffic congestion on one side of the road.

Traders argued that the NEIR implementation could adversely affect millions of traders and their families, benefiting only a select group while increasing mobile phone prices for consumers due to higher taxes. Their  main demands include reforming NEIR, eliminating syndicate practices in the sector, and opening up opportunities for mobile phone imports. 

Abu Sayeed Piyas, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Mobile Business Community, said that mobile shops across the country remained closed from the morning in solidarity with the protest.

The government plans to implement NEIR starting December  16. Alongside this, it has announced reduced import duties for legally imported phones and special concessions for mobile phones brought by expatriates.

Under NEIR, every mobile phone will be registered, and unregistered phones brought into the country will no longer be usable, according to authorities.

AAH/MHK