Crackdown on 5 land phone operators: 7 lakh subscribers taken aback

More than 7, 00,000 people including subscribers and employees have been suffering directly and indirectly due to the BTRC's decision to scrap licences of five PSTNs in the country. Among the private landline operators, RanksTel is the market leader with more than 3 lakh subscribers followed by Peoples Tel's 1.6 lakh, and National Telecom's 1.38 lakh. Dhaka Phone has 77,000 subscribers while WorldTel has 14,000. The landline phone operators have more than 3,000 employees. The number of dealers and distributors of the native companies are 10,000. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) crackdown on illegal VoIP operations between March 14 and 23, shut down operations of Dhaka Phone, WorldTel, RanksTel, PeoplesTel and National Telecom. In all, 0.6 million subscribers, with RanksTel accounting for half, saw their connections summarily severed due to the regulatory body's actions. A subscriber of RanksTel Mostafa Monwar said, "what will happen to the subscribers who purchased connection from these PSTN operators. The Government should make arrangement for refund of money that subscribers paid to get the line and set." Another subscriber of National Phone Moshiur Rahman said the mobile phone operators are too using VoIP technology to terminate calls. "But, why BTRC so polite with mobile operators on VOIP case?" he said adding the VoIP termination was yet to stop in the country after canceling licences of the PSTNs. Employees of the PSTNs are suffering most due to the stoppage of operation of the land phones. The 3,000 employees do not get salary for the last two months. They are passing miserable life now. The employees of the five land line phone operators formed EPAOB (Employees Association of PSTN Operators of Bangladesh). They formed a human chain in front of the Jatiya Press Club on Sunday demanding resumption of operation of the PSTNs. Abdul Karim, an official of National Phone told the New Nation though mobile phone operators were earlier caught by BTRC on the same allegation. But, BTRC just imposed fine and set them free. BTRC showed ambivalent attitudes toward landline phone operators which are operated by local investment, he alleged. In 2007, the Government watchdog BTRC started cracking down on the major telecom companies for illegal VoIP use. GrameenPhone was fined Tk 168.40 cr and additional Tk 250 cr in 2008 for providing digital communications lines to third parties and enabling VoIP use for international call termination. For the same violation, Aktel was charged Tk. 145 cr, Citycell was charged Tk. 150 cr and Banglalink paid Tk. 125 cr. Deputy General Manager (Technical) of Dhaka Phone Jakir Hossain said if the Government suppressed local investors in the way, local company would get stumble and investors would be discouraged. Digital Bangladesh would not substantiate, if local investors were suppressed in the way, he feared. "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is like our mother. We hope she will understand the matter", he added. According to BTRC sources, BTRC chairman will meet with the five PSTNs operators this afternoon. Earlier, BTRC cancelled licences of five landline operators on May 12, whose services it switched off in March for their involvement in illegal international call termination through VoIP technology. The decision had been taken following the High Court order on May 11 in response to writ petitions filed by RanksTel and National Telecom Ltd where the court directed BTRC to decide within seven days whether it would cancel the licences of the two operators- Rankstel and National Telecom. The court also ordered BTRC to appoint an administrator to each of the two companies for running their operations in the interest of their subscribers, if the commission cancels their licenses. The court also said the administrators will be appointed for six months or till disposal of the pending criminal cases filed against the companies. The cases are pending with a magistrate court in Dhaka. The administrators will place details about the subscribers of the two operators to BTRC for further action, the verdict added.