While the law says the ministry is the authority to approve 3G tariff proposals, the telecom regulator itself made the approvals for the private mobile phone operators.
The four private mobile companies have been offering the packages to the customers since their 3G launch in October last year with the approval of Bangladesh Telecommunication and Regulatory Commission (BTRC).
Official sources said the regulator has violated section 48 of Bangladesh Telecommunication (Amendment) Act 2010 which authorises telecom ministry to approve any service proposal.
“It’s a clear violation of law, and the regulator should be responsible for that,” said a high official of Post and Telecommunication Ministry.
BTRC has sent the proposals to the ministry for its approval now while the customers are already enjoying offers.
It however followed the law in the case of the state-owned operator Teletalk in 2012.
“BTRC is now seeking approval with retrospective effect,” said a ministry official.
“We are in a dilemma. Other things can be approved retrospectively, but 3G tariff proposals are related with charging customers, so if there is any problem about the tariff, we would correct it. But no such chance is left for the government now?”
When contacted, the officials of private operators declined to make any comment on it as “it is not their business.”
They claimed proposals were made properly and the regulator approved it.
Recently, BTRC discussed the issue at its meeting.
A commissioner expressed his disappointment over the violation of law.
“As a regulator, BTRC can’t violate the law. It must ensure compliance.”
According to a BTRC report, Teletalk is offering the cheapest tariff for 3G data service in Bangladesh with Tk0.204 for per Megabyte at a speed of 1 megabyte per second (Mbps) speed.
But it’s still higher than that of Airtel India in the neighbouring country, the report said.
“We offer the cheapest rates for all services, and 3G service is also not an exception of that,” said Md Mujibor Rahaman, the managing director of Teletalk.
Currently, Teletalk is the market leader of the fastest service in Bangladesh with 7 lakh customers making the 3G journey in October 2012.
Airtel Bangladesh is offering Tk0.251 per MB with 1 Mbps speed while Banglalink is making it at Tk0.353.
Robi is charging Tk0.384 for the service, and Grameenphone offers Tk0.384 per MB with 1 Mbps speed.
Teletalk’s MD said the state-owned operator wants to dominate the 3G data market. “That’s why we always offer special packages for the subscribers.”
According to the BTRC’s report, Airtel India offers only $0.00199 for one MB bandwidth with 2 Mbps speed while Grameephone charges $0.00673 for the same service with same speed. Robi offers it at $0.0051.
“When Teletalk launched the service in Bangladesh, it compared the prices with neighboring India. We however may need to check it again for readjustment if necessary,” said Md Mujibor Rahaman.