The telecom regulator has blocked four more International Gateway Operators (IGWs) from mid-night yesterday as they owe around Tk150 crore to the national exchequer for a period of July to September this year, officials said.
They are Mos5 Tel Limited, First Communications Limited, SM Communication and Cel Telecom Limited.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) sent a letter to the operators as well as the mobile and land phone operators earlier in the afternoon, asking them to suspend the operations.
Ranks Telecom Limited and Sigma Engineers Limited, however, escaped the suspension as they made the payments immediately after getting the letter.
“These IGW operators haven’t shared their revenue as per the guideline … the regulator directed all the mobile phone and land phone operators not to terminate these operators’ calls,” a senior official quoted from the letter.
The BTRC took the action following a request by the Post and Telecommunication Minister at a meeting on Sunday.
Mos5 Tel Limited owned by former Health Minister A F M Ruhal Haque. First Communications Limited owned by the Prime Minister’s advisor Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu.
According to the guideline, the IGWs earn $.03 for per minute of incoming international calls and they have to share 51.75% of it with the regulator.
Earlier in September, BTRC had blocked six IGWs having an outstanding of Tk613 crore – most of the companies were politically powerful.
Total outstanding amount of IGWs revenue sharing stands nearly one thousand crore taka so far, sources said.