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.

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’ key demands include reforming the NEIR system, eliminating alleged syndicate control in the market, and allowing broader opportunities for mobile phone imports.

According to the association, the implementation of NEIR will negatively impact hundreds of thousands of traders and their families.

They allege the new system will primarily benefit a “special group,” while increased taxes and regulations will raise mobile phone prices for consumers.

Earlier on 30 November, mobile shop owners and employees from various shopping malls held a human chain in the Karwan Bazar–Panthapath area by keeping their shops closed as part of a pre-announced protest program.

The government plans to introduce the NEIR system on 16 December to strengthen security in the telecommunications sector and prevent the use of unregistered mobile handsets.

Once implemented, unregistered, stolen, or illegally imported phones will no longer function on mobile networks in Bangladesh.