Mobile Importers Block BTRC Road Demanding Lower Taxes and Policy Revisions
Members of the Mobile Business Community Bangladesh (MBCB), a group representing ‘unauthorized’ mobile importers, blocked the road in front of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) building on Saturday.
Starting around 10:30 am on 7 December, the group blocked the main road in the Agargaon administrative area, causing severe traffic disruption.
MBCB President Mohammad Aslam, who led the blockade, said, “We, the grassroots retail traders, should be allowed to import mobile phones. The barriers imposed by BTRC on imports must be removed. The 58–61 percent tax set by the NBR is unbearable and unacceptable. If the tax is reduced to 10–12 percent, we are willing to pay. No more surcharges or hidden charges.”
Following the announcement that the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) would come into effect on 16 December, MBCB has been staging strikes and blockades in different markets. Earlier, they blockaded areas in front of the DB office, Karwan Bazar, and Jamuna Future Park.
During Saturday’s blockade, traders chanted slogans such as “Break the black hands of the syndicate” and “No place for syndicates in our golden Bengal,” demanding that the 57 percent mobile import tax be reduced to 10–12 percent. They warned that they would not leave the streets until their demands were met. They also urged BTRC to take immediate action to resolve their grievances, alleging that NEIR is being implemented with the backing of nine mobile companies to protect their interests.
The business leaders claimed that the sudden announcement of NEIR implementation—without prior consultation—has thrown the market into turmoil. As a result, around 25,000 businesses and more than 2 million people dependent on the sector are at risk of losing their livelihoods. Many retailers have taken bank loans worth hundreds of crores of taka and currently hold inventory worth crores. They said it is impossible to sell such massive stock before 16 December. Allowing a handful of companies to dominate the market by ignoring these concerns would force many small traders out of business.
MBCB leaders further stated that if NEIR is implemented in its current form, legal mobile imports would become impossible—regardless of whether the tax is 57 percent or even zero. According to BTRC’s import guidelines, if a foreign brand assembles its products locally, no other company may import the same brand’s models.
They argued that this policy effectively promotes monopoly practices. It will eliminate market competition and hand control of the mobile phone market—serving nearly 180 million people—to a few companies. This would lead to a sudden spike in smartphone prices and cause severe losses for ordinary consumers.
DBTech/BNTU/EK/OR
