Mobile phone traders lay siege to BTRC

Mobile phone traders laid siege to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) office in Agargaon on Sunday to press for their demands including the reforms to the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) system and unrestricted mobile phone imports.

Operating under the banner of “Mobile Business Community Bangladesh,” the traders began gathering around 11:30am near the BTRC, causing traffic disruptions on one side.

The traders also observed a so-called “nationwide shutdown,” calling for lower import duties, more favourable business conditions for mobile handsets, and the scrapping of the planned NEIR implementation.

The NEIR system, scheduled to come into effect on 16 December, is designed to identify and block stolen or unauthorised mobile phones using International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers -- a unique 15-digit code assigned to each device.

Protesters alleged that the rollout of the NEIR system would negatively affect hundreds of thousands of traders and their families across the country.

They also claimed the policy would benefit a specific group of businesses, while additional taxes and restrictions would increase mobile phone prices for consumers.