Mobile phone traders vandalise BTRC office

The launch of the National Equipment Identification Register (NEIR) has been met with attack and vandalism at the BTRC office in Agargaon.

The service was kicked off as part of mandatory mobile handset registration on Thursday.

In protest, mobile traders resorted to violence in the afternoon as police struggled to control the sudden unrest, with bricks and stones reportedly thrown.

Tejgaon Division Deputy Commissioner Ibn-e-Mizan said, “They launched an abrupt attack, hurling bricks. We are trying to manage the situation.”

A BTRC employee says they were offering Asr prayers when they heard the sound of bricks being thrown from outside.

Around 5pm, several teams of the Army arrive at the scene and bring the situation under control.

Mobile handset traders have been protesting for several days against the implementation of the NEIR system.

The government alleges that many traders import low-quality, cloned, used, and old mobile phones into the country through various illegal routes while evading taxes.

The government moved to introduce the NEIR handset registration system to prevent tax evasion and curb the entry of substandard phones into the domestic market.

Once NEIR is implemented, mobile phones imported through illegal channels will no longer be usable on local networks. The system is also expected to shut down the business of illegally bringing used phones from abroad.

After the mandatory handset registration comes into effect, only government-approved, legally imported handsets will be allowed to remain connected to mobile networks. However, BTRC says any handset that has been used on networks before the launch of NEIR will not be disconnected.

According to an earlier announcement, the NEIR was scheduled to be launched on Victory Day on Dec 16. Mobile phone traders have been observing various protests opposing the move.

On Dec 7, traders blocked the BTRC office and staged demonstrations, blocking roads for most of the day. Following the protests, the regulator announced that the launch of NEIR will be deferred by 15 days, setting Jan 1 as the new date for its implementation.