Mobile Phone Retailers Shut Shops Nationwide, Protest NEIR Rollout In Dhaka

Mobile Phone Retailers Across Bangladesh Kept Their Shops Closed As Part Of A Nationwide Strike While Staging A Mass Protest In Front Of The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) In Agargaon, Dhaka, On [Today’s Date]. The Protest, Led By The Bangladesh Mobile Business Community (BMBC), Drew More Than A Thousand Traders From Different Regions. Demonstrators Accused BTRC Of Enabling A Powerful Group To Monopolize The Sector Under The Pretext Of Eliminating Illegal Handset Sales. Retailers Argue That The Upcoming Implementation Of The National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) On December 16 Will Allow Only A Handful Of Companies To Dominate The Market, Potentially Raising Handset Prices And Threatening The Livelihoods Of Hundreds Of Thousands Of Workers Involved In The Mobile Phone Trade.