Agargaon in Gridlock: Mobile Traders Block Road

In a dramatic turn of events, the streets beneath Agargaon Metro Station in the capital have been blocked by protesting mobile phone traders, bringing traffic to a complete standstill. The disruption began shortly after 11:30 am on Sunday, 7 December, as members of the Mobile Business Community organised the protest to press their demands.

Shamim Molla, senior co-vice president of the Mobile Business Community, confirmed that representatives of the protestors were in dialogue with the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) following an invitation from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. However, Molla cautioned that unless the interests of small and medium mobile traders are safeguarded, the discussions were unlikely to produce a satisfactory resolution.

The protest follows a large-scale sit-in that began early Sunday morning in front of the BTRC headquarters. Traders and employees of mobile businesses gathered to demand six key reforms, including a reduction in import duties on smartphones. Police maintained tight security around the BTRC building to manage the crowd and prevent escalation.

Traders have voiced strong concerns about the implementation of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR). They argue that the new regulation will disproportionately benefit a small group of businesses while causing significant financial losses to hundreds of thousands of smaller traders. The added taxes and regulatory costs, they claim, will ultimately push up mobile phone prices for consumers.

Yesterday, the Mobile Business Community of Bangladesh announced an indefinite closure of mobile shops nationwide, highlighting the severity of their grievances. Among their main demands are the removal of mandatory agreements between mobile importers and local smartphone manufacturers, ensuring fair import duties of 15% for small and medium businesses, and excluding private manufacturers from financing NEIR initiatives. They also demand that the government, rather than private players, implement NEIR using its own resources.

Other key points include giving traders adequate time to sell unsold stock, publishing tutorial videos for both vendors and consumers before NEIR goes live, and conducting at least six months of trial operations to familiarise stakeholders with the process. Additionally, they urge the BTRC to streamline the vendor enlistment process to ensure quick and efficient registration.

The ongoing protests underscore the growing tension between the government’s regulatory initiatives and the mobile business sector. As negotiations continue, traders remain steadfast in their commitment to protect their livelihoods, signalling that the issue may escalate further if satisfactory resolutions are not reached promptly.