STAR BUSINESS REPORT

The government has delayed the blocking of unauthorised mobile handsets by up to three months, a top official said yesterday.

Earlier, the blocking of unofficial handsets under the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) system was scheduled to begin on December 16.

Now, the implementation will be delayed by up to three months to allow the government to make the necessary preparations, said Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, special assistant to the chief adviser on telecom and ICT, while speaking to The Daily Star.

The development comes amid protests from mobile phone sellers against the NEIR system.

Yesterday evening, mobile phone traders and their employees staged a protest at Karwan Bazar in Dhaka, blocking the busy intersection and bringing traffic in the surrounding areas to a standstill.

The demonstration began around 5:45pm, with several hundred traders participating in a sit-in.

Imran Hossain, a mobile phone trader from Bashundhara City Shopping Complex, said the protesters are demanding amendments to the newly introduced NEIR policy.

“Under the NEIR system, we have to pay around 57 percent tax to import “But