Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission is going to sue six international gateway operators which have ceased to operate and pay their outstanding Tk613 crore as revenue sharing amount plus annual licence fee.
Of the amount, the outstanding licence fees of these six operators total Tk45 crore.
Launched in October 2012, the six IGW operators have shared only Tk71.5 crore revenue with BTRC.
Since October this year, the six IGW companies are not in operation.
According to IGW guideline, the operators are required to pay 51.75% of revenue to the telecom regulator. The guideline says the IGWs can earn 3 US cents per minute in incoming international calls.
BTRC said the total outstanding revenue sharing amount plus annual licence fees of all 29 IGW operators stand at Tk1,115 crore.
“We are preparing to file criminal cases against the directors and the owners of those six IGWs,” a high official of BTRC told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
He added BTRC’s legal consultant firms have already given a report recommending to file criminal cases against the operators.
Apart from criminal cases, BTRC also wants to sue the IGW companies under Public Demands Recovery Act (PDRA).
But the official said case under PDRA would be a lengthy process and that’s why the regulator would also file criminal cases.
Among the IGW operators, Vision Tel Ltd is the highest defaulter with Tk146.5 crore.
BTRC sends a recommendation today to the government to cancel licence of Vision Tel Ltd which didn’t pay Tk146.5 crore.
Earlier, the regulator also recommended cancelling licences of another two IGW companies. They are Telex Ltd and Ratul Telecom Ltd.
Telex Ltd had not paid even a penny since its operation. The operators’ dues amount to Tk92.5 crore.
Ratul Telecom Ltd owes Tk96.5 crore to BTRC. Syeda Amrin Rakhi, daughter of former LGRD state minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak, has 50% stakes in Ratul Telecom. Her mother Syeda Arzuman Banu has 20% shares.
Former telecom minister Advocate Shahara Khatun “permitted” the operator to pay dues in instalments although the minister had no such authority.
The deadline of first instalment expired on November 30. BTRC allowed them another 25 days.
Ratul Telecom paid a total of Tk19 crore during past 15 months.
Kay Telecommunications Ltd, fully owned by ruling party leader Shamim Osman of Narayanganj, only paid Tk9 crore.
The company didn’t pay Tk91.5 crore.
Few days back, Shamim Osman reportedly managed to transfer his shares to another person. Bestec Telecom Ltd and Apple GlobalTel Com Ltd owe respectively Tk127.5 crore and Tk58.5 crore to BTRC.
They paid only Tk6 crore and Tk9.5 crore respectively under revenue sharing guideline in last 15 months.
