Mobile phone traders to shut shops nationwide from tomorrow, announce BTRC siege
Alongside the shutdown, mobile phone traders have also declared a siege of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) office in Agargaon, Dhaka.
The Bangladesh Mobile Business Community has announced that all mobile handset shops across the country will remain closed indefinitely from tomorrow (7 December), as part of a protest demanding reforms to the National Equipment Identity Registrar (NEIR) system.
Alongside the shutdown, mobile phone traders have also declared a siege of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) office in the capital's Agargaon tomorrow, to press home their demands, including abolishing alleged sectoral syndication and allowing open import of mobile phones.
"From Sunday morning, traders from across the country will close their shops and gather in front of the BTRC office in Agargaon," Abu Sayeed Pias, secretary of the Mobile Business Community said in a statement today (6 December).
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Earlier, on 30 November, traders and employees from various shopping malls held a human chain in the Karwan Bazar-Panthapath area as part of their previously announced programme. Shops were kept closed during the demonstration.
Participants at that event claimed that full implementation of NEIR would cause losses to hundreds of thousands of traders and families, while benefitting only a select group.
They also warned that increased taxes could push mobile phone prices higher.
