The telecom regulator is going to set up a monitoring system in next three weeks to intensify its surveillance particularly on international bandwidth, which is allegedly being used for illegal call termination.
“We’re going to introduce a new technology to bring the gateways (IGW, ICX and IIG) under surveillance,” Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Sunil Kanti Bose told a seminar in Dhaka yesterday.
“In addition, cellular phone operators will be brought under the surveillance through introducing new technologies.”
The chief of the watchdog body spoke about the imminent measures in response to criticism over illegal call termination through VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) due to lack of time befitting policy. He said unhappy politics and dishonest employees of the government were also contributing to furnish the illegal use of VoIP.
Telecom Reporters’ Network, Bangladesh (TRNB) organised the seminar titled “Illegal Call Termination, Current Situation and Way Out” at a local hotel.
Bose said the operators would soon get access to the National ID database (NID) of the Election Commission to verify customers’ identity during SIM registration. “Surveillance would also be easier after introduction of the verification system.”
He said the commission is considering to halve the revenue of international call termination to 1.5 US cents from the exiting 3 cents, and all the initiatives could help them increase the legal international calls up to 8 crore minute per day from roughly 4.5 crore minutes per day at present.
Taking part in the discussion, Mir Nasir Hossain, managing director of Mir Telecom, an IGW operator, said the gateways will be effective when the new regime will be activated. The regulator should rather intensify the monitoring system to control the illegal call termination.
Mir Masud Kabir, managing director of Mango Teleservices, said at least 90% of the illegal calls could be curtailed through proper monitoring.
“It may not be possible for the regulator to control the illegal calls through monitoring or deploying technology. Political will is necessary,” said Sumon Ahmed Sabir, chief strategy officer of Fiber@Home, a telecom transmission system provider.
Abu Saeed Khan, senior policy fellow of LIRNEasia, a Colombo-based ICT think tank, said “No government in the world, let alone Bangladesh government, qualifies to determine the rates of incoming international calls. Because the market dictates such prices. Therefore, BTRC should leave it up to the market forces of Bangladesh.”
Muzibor Rahaman, managing director of the state-owned mobile operator teletalk, urged to establish a taskforce relating to VoIP to ensure the earnings for the national exchequer.
Mahmud Hossain, chief corporate affairs officer of Grameenphone, alleged his company could not collect Tk87 crore from the IGWs while Tk120 crore hangs in disputes with state-run Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd due to illegal call business.
Zakiul Islam, senior director of Banglalink, said the cellular operators are incurring loss of Tk0.30 per illegal call termination. So, the operators want legal call to run business without loss, he added.
Mobile phone operators claimed they have so far disconnected 71 lakh SIMs, for which they had to deposit a total tax of around TK430 crore in last couple of years. Banglalink, the second largest operator in terms of subscribers, blocked 21 lakh SIMs, Grameenphone and Robi 14 lakh each, Airtel 13 lakh, state-owned operator Teletalk 8 lakh and Citycell blocked only 9,000 SIMs.