Staff Reporter :
Mobile phone traders in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar blocked the SAARC Fountain intersection on Wednesday evening, demanding the resignation of Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, the special assistant to the Chief Adviser in charge of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology.
The protest, which escalated with burning tyres and street barricades, brought traffic to a complete standstill across the busy commercial zone.
The demonstration began around 5:40pm, when traders took to the streets calling for reforms to the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR), the abolition of what they described as monopolistic syndicates in the handset market, and permission for fully open mobile phone imports.
As the gathering swelled, protesters set fire to tyres and wooden planks, chanting slogans and demanding immediate policy changes. Witnesses said the crowd also vandalised a vehicle during the agitation.
The blockade paralysed traffic across all connecting roads around SAARC Fountain, causing severe disruptions during the evening rush hour. Commuters were forced to walk long distances as vehicles were unable to pass through the area. Assistant Commissioner Mohammad Akkas Ali of Tejgaon Division Police confirmed that the protest had shut down traffic completely.
Traders argue that the NEIR, scheduled for implementation on 16 December, will devastate small and mid-sized businesses by restricting the use of phones brought in through unofficial channels. They claim the new system will benefit a narrow group of importers while inflating handset prices for consumers due to increased taxes and compliance requirements.
The government, alongside the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, plans to enforce mandatory registration of all mobile devices under the NEIR system. Once fully implemented, unregistered or illegally imported phones will be blocked from network access.
Officials say the initiative aims to curb grey-market imports, reduce tax evasion, and ensure consumer safety.
As part of the rollout, authorities have also announced reduced import duties on legally imported handsets and special exemptions for expatriates bringing phones into the country.
Despite these measures, traders insist the policy will undermine hundreds of thousands of livelihoods dependent on the informal mobile phone trade. Their latest demand — the resignation of Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb — marks a sharp escalation from earlier calls for policy reform.
Police remained deployed at the scene on Wednesday night as the standoff continued, and no fresh negotiations with the traders had been announced at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, the interim government will officially launch the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) system on 16 December to curb the use of illegal mobile phones in the country.
However, traders involved in the grey market will receive a three-month grace period to adjust to the new system.
The decision came yesterday during a meeting between officials of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, the National Board of Revenue (NBR), the Mobile Phone Industry Owners Association of Bangladesh (MIOB), and the Bangladesh Mobile Business Community held at the ministry.
According to meeting sources, during this grace period, no mobile handset sold by grey-market traders will be blocked. The government will take steps within this time to ease LC procedures for traders, reduce duties, and create legal avenues for regularising imported devices.
Speaking to media Mobile Business Community President Mohammad Aslam said, “Traders will suspend their ongoing movement following the government’s decision.”
The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications is expected to formally announce the decision today following an agreement between traders and mobile phone manufacturers.
