Citycell must pay Tk 318cr by Oct 19 to save licence

Citycell has to pay Tk 318.42 crore of its dues to the regulator by October 19 to secure its licence, according to a certified order of the Supreme Court that was made public yesterday.

And a month later, the operator will have to pay its remaining dues of Tk 159.21 crore.

Citycell's total dues are Tk 477.63 crore, which include spectrum fees, licence, revenue and late fees, according to Bangladesh Telecommuni-cation Regulatory Commission.

BTRC yesterday collected the court's certified order and forwarded it to Citycell immediately, said a senior official of the commission.

Senior officials of Citycell have acknowledged the development and said they are also in talks with potential buyers.

One investor from China was in Dhaka recently for talks but the offer was too low, said a Citycell official asking not to be named.

Another interested party hails from Mexico and its offer was deemed acceptable by Citycell. But the transaction remains pending as the party is facing problems remitting funds to Bangladesh, he said.

Earlier on July 31, the telecom regulator asked Citycell subscribers to switch to other mobile operators by August 16. On August 16, BTRC served a notice to Citycell on why it should not cancel the operator's licence despite failing to pay dues.

The government had also planned to bring down the curtains on Citycell's operations on August 24 but the move was thwarted by a High Court bench, which asked the BTRC to wait until September 16.