The High Court on Monday stayed for three months a decision of cancelling licenses of five private landline operators by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).
The public switched telephone network (PSTN) operators are RanksTel, Dhaka Phone, National Telecom, Peoples Tel, and World Tel. The BTRC switched off the services o the companies in March for their involvement in illegal VoIP business.
A division bench comprising Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain also issued a rule upon the BTRC and the government to explain within three weeks why the decision should not be declared illegal, and they should not be directed to restore the services of the five operators.
The court came up with the order following a writ petition filed by a visually impaired user, Asgar Ali, of the Ranks Tel, challenging the BTRC decision.
Deputy Attorney General Nazrul Islam Talukder said the government will soon file an appeal with the Supreme Court for staying the HC order.
The BTRC on May 10 at a meeting decided to cancel the licenses of the landline operators on charge of their involvement in the illegal VoIP business and of depriving the government from huge revenue by originating illegal call termination to some foreign countries.
The BTRC Chairman Zia Ahmed presided over the meeting.
Asgar Ali filed the writ petition with the HC on June 6, stating that the BTRC chairman Zia Ahmed’s son Abir Ahmed Zia is a manger of network operation of Novo Tel Limited, and that’s the reason why only Novo Tel’s license had not been cancelled.
-Daily star
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