The telecom regulator has decided to carry out information system audits into Grameenphone and Robi Axiata in the years since 2015 and form committees to start the process of appointing auditors.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), at a meeting last month, approved the setting up of two committees in order to hire the audit firms.

Two tender evaluation committees for the audit process will also be formed, according to the meeting documents.

The information system audit aims to ensure that the equipment and processes within GP and Robi adhere to the guidelines of the commission. It makes sure compliance with rules and regulations, including the verification of revenue collected by the companies, so that the government receives its due share.

The decision to carry out the audits comes although the claims of the first audits into the operators haven't been settled yet.

The telecom regulator ran separate audits into the two operators from their inception to December 2014 and claimed Tk 12,579 crore from GP and Tk 867 crore from Robi.

The claims include the amounts for unpaid annual spectrum fees, value-added tax, and revenue sharing. However, both operators disputed the sum and claimed that they did not evade any taxes.

The dispute triggered a legal battle between the operators and the BTRC, with the companies filing cases in 2019.

Based on the audit of GP from 1997 to 2014, the BTRC sent a demand notice in April 2019, asking it to clear the payments.

Later, GP filed the case before the district court against the claim. The Supreme Court in November of that year ordered the operator to give Tk 2,000 crore in three months to the commission.

Afterward, the appellate division directed the largest mobile phone operator of the country to deposit Tk 1,000 crore by February 2020 and another Tk 1,000 crore by May 2020. GP complied.

Of the Tk 12,579 crore, the operator hasn't yet cleared more than Tk 6,100 crore slapped as a late fee.

Additionally, it paid over Tk 2,392 crore out of Tk 4,085 crore owed to the National Board of Revenue.

GP did not respond to The Daily Star's request for comments yesterday regarding the BTRC's new audit process.

"We want an amicable solution on the rest of the dues claimed in the audit," Yasir Azman, chief executive officer of GP, told The Daily Star recently.

Out of Tk 867 crore, Robi, the second-largest operator of Bangladesh, paid Tk 138 crore in five instalments by May 2020 to comply with the order of the High Court Division.

According to Robi's annual report for 2022, a substantial part of the BTRC's claim includes the VAT on spectrum fees and VAT rebate/credit cancellation, which are either part of other ongoing litigations or in respect of which the BTRC has no jurisdiction to claim relevant amounts.

"We filed a general petition with the court five years ago, challenging the outcomes of the previous audit. The telecom regulator is yet to respond to the petition. Therefore, we haven't seen any progress on the sub judice matter," Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer at Robi Axiata, told The Daily Star.

"We hope the regulator will take necessary steps to resolve pending issues of the previous audit."

The regulator also conducted audits into Banglalink from 1996 to 2019 and asked the operator to pay more than Tk 820 crore last year.

Of the figure, Tk 390 crore has been sought as VAT, tax and fees, and outstanding dues related to revenue-sharing, handset royalty, access frequency and microwave frequency payments, and the licence fees as principal amount. The rest, or Tk 430 crore, was claimed as late fees.

The operator has deposited Tk 335 crore of the principal amount as of now and will pay the rest of the principal amount of Tk 390 crore in instalments, according to an official of the operator.

Banglalink is trying to mutually resolve the BTRC's audit outcome, so it hasn't filed any case.

An official of the BTRC told The Daily Star that the commission has sent a letter to the government on waiving the late fees.

The BTRC also took the initiative to audit other state-owned and private companies in the telecommunication ecosystem.

It has recently demanded payments from state-run Teletalk Bangladesh and Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited, asking them to clear dues amounting to a staggering Tk 3,000 crore collectively.

Currently, people's top priority is employment, followed by transport and education, finds a Brac survey ahead of the December 30 polls.

During the survey, carried out by the NGO's Advocacy for Social Change (ASC) in September, 5,378 respondents from all the districts and different socio-economic groups, genders, professions and ages were asked about election manifesto, selection of MP candidates and expectations from the next elected government.

At least 27.7 percent respondents said they were looking for a solution to the countrywide unemployment problem, while 26.3 percent want to see development in the transport infrastructure, and nearly 23.8 percent prioritised progress in the education sector.

Demand for a free and fair election came fourth on the list, as 17.17 percent respondents expected to see credible polls.

The Rohingya crisis, which has affected Bangladesh to a great extent and remains an issue of global concern, was named by 4.5 percent respondents.

The survey results have reflected people's perception, Asif Saleh, senior director of strategy, communications and empowerment at Brac, told The Daily Star yesterday.

“The new government, whoever it is, must take up massive measures to create jobs by engaging the private and non-profit sectors.”

He said there had been a jobless growth over the years, and that it was predicted that the job growth might come down in future with automation in industries.

“Therefore, we really need to think differently how to create more jobs for our huge number of youths joining the labour force every year.

“Quality education here is another top issue. We need to focus more on some foundational aspects so that students become analytical and efficient in communications. It will help them be competent in the changing jobs scenario,” he said.

He also said the transport sector, being a public priority, has been really “surprising”. This proves that the mobility of people is growing fast and that they want road safety, he added.

PEOPLE'S PRIORITIES

For new (aged 18-23), young (aged 24-35) or middle-aged voters (36-60), the priority is more or less similar with the top being employment followed by transport and education. But for old aged (60 plus) people, transport infrastructure development is the highest priority, the survey said.

The top three priority areas are same for both male and female, but the number of male who think that employment generation should be the top priority in the election manifesto is higher than that of the female.

On the other hand, education is more important for females than males (24.6pc versus 23.1pc).

Young female participants' priority choices are different from the “usual priority list”. For them, number one priority is transport (27.7pc), followed by employment and education.

At least 38.8 percent of those surveyed in the city corporation areas think employment should be the highest priority, while it was 28.9 percent for the people in rural areas. At least 28.3 percent respondents in rural areas think transport should be the top priority.

People with higher level of education prioritised employment and education, according to the survey.

For farmers and labourers, the most important issue has been found transport. But for the employed and unemployed people as well as students, the most important issue is unemployment.

For the people in Cox's Bazar, the highest priority is fair election, followed by the Rohingya crisis.

KNOWLEDGE ON MANIFESTO

More than two third or 68.6 percent respondents have heard about election manifesto and the knowledge about it is higher among the male participants compared to their female counterparts.

People in Barishal division (81.8pc) and Mymensingh division (81.6pc) know more about election manifesto whereas people from Dhaka division (59.1pc) know about it the least.

Not surprisingly, rural people heard less about election manifesto than those in urban areas. Knowledge about the manifesto is much higher among better educated people.

Though 82.8 percent respondents consider election manifesto as important documents, only one out of four respondents has ever gone through one. But the percentage is significantly low among females than males.

Forty nine percent respondents said candidates' acceptability and qualifications were the key factors that govern voting decisions. And, 30.6 percent respondents said they were influenced by electoral symbols of the parties. Only 6.9 percent respondents consider manifestos before making a voting decision.

But for nearly 53 percent females and middle-aged people (36 to 60), qualification of the candidates are more important in making voting decision, while political party is important for farmers (38.4pc) and businessmen (37.2pc).

For 69.1 percent respondents, commitment towards resolving pressing national issues govern voting decisions, while 25.1 percent respondents said promises to deal with local or regional issues matter most to them.

Interestingly, people living in rural areas, labourers and farmers are more concerned about the local problems.

At a time when the government is pressing full steam ahead with the 'Smart Bangladesh' agenda, the telecom regulator is taking measures that are at odds with it.

On September 3, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission ordered the mobile operators to discontinue three-day and 15-day data packages from October 15, in a move that stakeholders, experts and consumer rights organisations say restricts the freedom of choice.

The move will particularly hit the pockets of the grassroots, low-income and youth segments and is primed to reduce their consumption of telecom services, particularly the internet.

The operators have also been directed to limit the total number of packages they offer to 40. At present, operators offer up to 95 packages to subscribers, whose duration ranges from an hour to an indefinite period.

From October 15, mobile users will have the option to buy data plans for seven days or 30 days. The option to purchase plans with unlimited validity will remain, too.

The BTRC said it arrived at the decision by surveying mobile users, who were in favour of condensing the volume of packages on offer.

The mobile operators maintain that the BTRC survey contained leading questions that influenced the respondents' answers by suggesting responses.

Telecom Minister Mustafa Jabbar has long been expressing his annoyance over the sheer number of packages offered by the carriers.

"Earlier, they would offer 300 packages. Now they are offering 95 packages. Is it possible for customers to choose from 95 packages and remember those? This takes the level of people's confusion to extreme heights. So, we are cutting it down to 40," he told The Daily Star.

When asked if the move curbs the freedom of choice, he said: "With this, a new system is being introduced to break the autocratic attitude of operators who have been bombarding customers with a web of plans."

Curiously, at the programme on May 30 where the BTRC survey result was shared, many of the customers who spoke said they wanted more packages, particularly targeted for OTT media consumption and students.

Subsequently, the operators vehemently opposed the impending BTRC move and said it is not reasonable "in a world where consumer preference for options is vast and wide-ranging".

"Every product that operators offer is based on an analysis of the diverse demands of the consumers from various demographics," said the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (Amtob), the trade body for carriers, in a letter to BTRC on August 7.

The synergy between market offerings and customer demand may be broken if there are any abrupt changes made to the offer modalities as a result of frequent regulatory interventions.

Just in March 2022, the BTRC ordered operators to bring down the number of packages to 95 from a few hundred packages each.  

Subsequently, Amtob urged the telecom regulator to reconsider its proposed changes, which will have "grave consequences on the industry".

But the BTRC went ahead and issued the directive on Sunday. Discontinuing the three-day packs, it seems, is the more polemic among the directives.

A large segment of grassroots people use data for entertainment and other purposes besides connectivity, said TIM Nurul Kabir, a former secretary general of Amtob.

And they mostly opt for the affordable three-day packs.

"If the option to purchase data for a short time with lower expenditure is eliminated, it will be very inconvenient for them. Customers should always have flexibility in choosing options, and denying this would be unjustified," he added.

Asked if the customers who avail three-day packages now will have to spend more for the minimum seven-day plans, AKM Habibur Rahman, managing director of Teletalk, said: "Undoubtedly -- it is not possible to offer the seven-day packages at the same rate as the three-day ones."

As much as 48 percent of Banglalink's 4.2 crore-odd customers regularly purchase the three-day packs and just 3 percent avail of the 15-day plans, according to Taimur Rahman, its chief corporate and regulatory affairs officer.

"Discontinuing the three-day packs will have a huge impact on customers, specifically those who have a limited budget," he added.

Similarly, Robi, the second-largest carrier with 5.7 crore users, has the highest number of takers for its three-day packages: 50 percent of the recharges come from it, while 7 percent come from 15-day plans.

There are more than 11 crore unique mobile subscribers, who have a wide array of demands and requirements, said Shahed Alam, head of regulatory affairs at Robi. Meeting these demands with a mere 40 packages poses a significant challenge for the operators.

"This decision is poised to have a detrimental impact on customers' ability to select the packages that best suit their preferences and the overall cost of their mobile phone usage."

Furthermore, discontinuing the three-day packages will disproportionately affect students and individuals with limited data needs.

"The decision lacks a foundation in data or research conducted by the telecom regulator, and the findings, if any, were inconclusive," Alam added.

Subscribers more often than not fail to use up the data in the three-day packages, said BTRC Chairman Shyam Sunder Sikder.

"There is an option for customers to carry forward their unused data if they purchase the same package. But many customers were unaware of this and are ultimately deprived."

So the telecom operator is doing away with the three-day packages, he added.

"We are currently assessing the regulatory move," said Hossain Sadat, spokesman of Grameenphone, the market leader with 8.2 crore subscribers as of July.

The regulator can fix the number of packages an operator can offer to reduce customer confusion of customers, but setting the durations of packages is too much regulation, said Ghulam Rahman, president of Consumers Association of Bangladesh.

"It should be set by operators based on their customers' needs," he added.

A regulatory authority should seek the opinions of stakeholders -- operators and customers -- and conduct a thorough survey before making such an important decision that will undoubtedly affect millions of people, said Shahdeen Malik, an eminent jurist and a constitutional expert.

"It would be tantamount to incompetence if a regulator conducts an online survey with only 550 participants for this. I would say it is a misuse of power by a regulatory authority."

Furthermore, if the revenue of mobile companies, one of the biggest sources of government revenue, were to decline, it would have significant implications for public finances.

"It's not that I want the operators' revenue to increase, but from a national standpoint, their revenue is important for the government, especially considering current budgetary constraints," Malik added.

The ban on sales of Grameenphone SIMs was finally lifted last night, six months after its imposition.

"We have received the notification about withdrawal of the ban on SIM sales," said Yasir Azman, CEO of Grameenphone.

On June 29, four days after the Padma bridge inauguration, the telecom regulator, on instruction from the posts and telecommunications division the previous day, banned Grameenphone's SIM sales until it "improves its quality of service including bringing down call drop rate".

Read more

Is Grameenphone punished for Padma glitch?

The letter did not specify how Grameenphone failed in terms of quality of service.

For the country's leading mobile operator, the move was baffling given that its own drive tests were showing it was maintaining all quality-of-service (QoS) key performance indicators as per the threshold set by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission by a good margin.

The QoS metrics include call drop rate, call setup time, call setup success rate, call clarity, service coverage area, and internet download and upload speed.

Read more

Govt mulling lifting GP’s SIM sales ban

In May, its call drop rate was 0.55 percent, well below the BTRC threshold of 2 percent, shows results from the regulator's most recent drive test.

The UAE president, vice president and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi yesterday congratulated Bangladesh Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina on securing landslide victory in the 11th national election.

The UAE President Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, also Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Muhammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan greeted Hasina in separate messages.

“It pleases me very much to take this opportunity to send to your Excellency [Sheikh Hasina] my warmest congratulations and best wishes on securing absolute majority in the 11th parliamentary election,” they said in three separate identical messages.

The UAE top leaders wished continuous success of Hasina during her new tenure, welfare and prosperity for her friendly people.

They also expressed hope for further progress of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the UAE for the benefit of both the friendly countries and their people.

Meanwhile, the Emir of Qatar, Deputy Emir and prime minister have also congratulated Hasina.

Qatar Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Deputy Emir Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Thani and Prime Minister Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al-Thani greeted Hasina in separate messages yesterday, reported BSS.

“It gives me pleasure, on the occasion of your landslide victory in Bangladesh's general election, to extend to you, on behalf of the people of the state of Qatar and my own behalf, our heartfelt greetings and felicitations,” Qatar Emir said in his statement.

He also wished Hasina's wellbeing and continued success as well as further progress and development of Bangladesh.

The Emir also expressed his hope that the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Qatar would be further enhanced in the days to come.

In separate messages, the Deputy Emir and the prime minister also wished for wellbeing and continued success of Hasina during her new tenure.

Also, Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering and Fijian Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama yesterday congratulated Hasina.

Former Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay greeted Hasina, saying her victory in the general election is good not only for Bangladesh but also for the region and the international community.

In a message, Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said, “It gives me immense pleasure to extend warmest felicitations on her victory in the 11th parliamentary elections of Bangladesh.”

He said, “The landslide mandate secured by Sheikh Hasina is a clear demonstration of the deep confidence and trust the people of Bangladesh have in your leadership as you guide Bangladesh in fulfillment of the vision of Sonar Bangla.”

Lotay Tshering wished every success in discharging her duties during the coming tenure.

He expressed his firm conviction that the warm and cordial relations between Bhutan and Bangladesh would continue to strengthen and achieve new height in the true spirit of friendship and understanding.

The Bhutanese prime minister said he was looking forward to working closely with Bangladesh to further strengthen the ties and have the opportunity to receive Sheikh Hasina in Bhutan at a time of her convenience.

He also highly commended the PM's son and ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy for his tremendous contribution to her success.

“Sajeeb's tireless efforts and leadership is an immense inspiration to the people of Bangladesh and beyond,” he said.

Lotay Tshering wished good health of Hasina and peace, prosperity and happiness of the people of Bangladesh, reported UNB.

Fijian prime minister, in his congratulatory message, said, “The impressive victory of the Awami League with 288 seats of 300-member parliament is testament of the confidence of the people of Bangladesh in your [Hasina's] leadership and ability in progressing your country's economy.”

He said Fiji and Bangladesh share formal diplomatic ties since 2003, building up cooperation in the areas of trade and economic activities.

Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, commonly known as Frank Bainimarama, said he was looking forward to strengthening the friendship and advancing bilateral cooperation between the two counties.

He wished all the success of the Bangladesh government in its next tenure.

In a separate message, former Bhutanese prime minister Tshering Tobgay said, “The victory of Sheikh Hasina and Bangladesh Awami League is good for Bangladesh, good for the region and good for the international community.”

Extending his heartiest congratulations to Hasina, he said internationally Hasina was seen as a role model of leadership who was playing a pivotal role in poverty alleviation, environmental conservation, women development and addressing the problems of physically challenged persons.

“I see your Excellency as an elder sister and am personally happy that you and Bangladesh Awami League have secured a landslide victory,” Tobgay said.

Pakistan has also welcomed the newly elected government in Bangladesh.

“We want Pakistan-Bangladesh relations to move forward in line with the 1974 tripartite agreement. We welcome the newly elected government in Bangladesh and hope and expect that it would help take the bilateral relationship away from the irritants that it has faced in the recent times,” Mohammad Faisal, spokesperson for the Pakistan foreign ministry, told the weekly briefing in Islamabad yesterday.

Muhammad Aurangzeb Haral, counsellor (press) of Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka, sent the statement made in the briefing to the press in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh-India-Pakistan on April 9, 1974, signed the tripartite agreement on the repatriation of prisoners of war and civilian internees and for normalisation of relations in the sub-continent.