Mobile traders call off blockade as regulator agrees to NEIR reforms

Mobile phone traders have suspended their blockade in front of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) until tomorrow after the regulator agreed to reform the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) system.

However, traders said all mobile phone shops across the country will remain closed until a final decision on the reforms is made.

The decision to suspend the blockade was announced around 8:45pm yesterday following assurances from BTRC Chairman Maj Gen (retired) Md Emdad-ul-Bari during a meeting with the stakeholders.

Senior officials, including executive heads of posts, telecommunications and information technology ministry, finance ministry, commerce ministry, National Board of Revenue, and representatives of the Mobile Phone Manufacturers Association and the Mobile Business Community Bangladesh, attended the meeting.

The BTRC chairman said a joint meeting will be held at the commission to resolve all complications surrounding the NEIR system.

Abu Sayeed Pias, secretary of the Mobile Business Community, which is leading the protest, said they were hopeful that the discussions would pave the way for an effective solution to the NEIR issue and help restore stability in the market.

Earlier in the day, mobile phone traders staged a sit-in in front of the telecom regulator's headquarters and blocked roads in Dhaka's Agargaon, demanding a delay in the rollout of NEIR and lower import taxes on mobile phones.

The protest caused severe traffic congestion and made access to nearby hospitals, including Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation, and Shyamoli TB Hospital, extremely difficult, with some patients waiting on the roadside for hours.

During the sit-in, they urged the BTRC to delay the rollout of the NEIR system by six months to one year.

The NEIR system, scheduled to take effect on December 16, is designed to identify and block stolen or unauthorised mobile phones using their unique 15-digit International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers.

Protesters claimed that the rollout of the NEIR 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.

One of the protesters, Arafat Hossain, a mobile phone shop owner at Bashundhara City in Dhaka, said, "We want our demands to be met through a peaceful movement."

He noted that when import taxes are applied to the base price of a phone, the retail price becomes very high. "This is causing losses for our business. This movement is not only for us but also for our customers."

Currently, import duties on legally imported smartphones stand at about 61 percent.