Citycell to pay Tk477.51 crore dues to BTRC in three months

Citycell, country's oldest mobile operator, would be able to continue its operation if it pays its all dues within three months. A five-member bench of Appellate Division of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice SK Sinha gave this verdict on Monday. Syed Mahsib Hossain, a council of Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC), told the Dhaka Tribune that the operator will have to pay all dues, including regulatory fee and fine worth Tk477 crore within three months. Out of the total outstanding payment, two-thirds must pay in a month while the rest of the amount must pay within the next two months. Earlier, a High Court bench Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed ordered that Citycell can continue its operation till on September 16, 2016. The telecom regulator filed an appeal against the High Court order delivered on August 24 which barred it from shutting down Citycell’s operation. On July 31, BTRC asked Citycell to pay its all dues, including regulatory fee and fine worth Tk477 crore by August 16. The telecom regulator also ordered the company to create an alternative arrangement for providing the service to its subscribers even after shutdown. On August 21, the lawyer for Citycell filed an application for injunction under Section 248 of the Companies Act 1994, to restrain Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) from taking steps to cancel its license. The High Court dealt with the application on August 22. Upon hearing on the lawyers for China Development Bank, Citycell and BTRC, the HC gave the order in this connection. Citycell parent company Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Limited got licence for telecom services in 1989. It is the only CDMA network operator in the country. It is currently owned by Singtel with 45% stake and the remaining 55% is owned by the Pacific Group and Far East Telecom.