Citycell spectrum decision tomorrow

The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha set the date yesterday after a hearing on the petition filed seeking the court’s directives on the government. The mobile operator lodged the petition on October 24 after the BTRC suspended its spectrum allocation. The company owes the BTRC Tk477.69 crore in spectrum renewal fee, annual licence and spectrum fee, VAT and late fees. But Citycell disagreed with the BTRC over the amount saying that it would be much less since the regulator’s method of determining the amount was flawed. Later the Supreme Court asked the operator to pay two thirds of the dues by October 19, but they have so far paid Tk130 crore. After the BTRC suspended Citycell’s operations, the oldest mobile operator of the country moved the apex court. The chamber judge forwarded the petition to the full bench of the Appellate Division for hearing. Citycell lawyer Mostafizur Rahman said: “We have paid two thirds of the money we owe to the BTRC. Despite that, the authorities suspended the spectrum allocation and operations.” “We have told the court that we have complied with the order. On the other hand, the BTRC alleges that the money set by the Supreme Court is a portion of the whole amount they claimed as due.” BTRC lawyer Fazle Noor Taposh told the court that the amount of owed money was specified and there was no scope for dispute. “The other mobile operators have also been paying the fees according to the BTRC’s rules.”