SC upholds tariff hike on int'l incoming calls

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a decision to hike tariff on international incoming calls from 1.5 cents to 2 cents (Tk 1.60) per minute.

The four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha passed the order after cancelling a High Court verdict in this regard.

Following the directives of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, the authorities of Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) hiked the tariff from 1.5 cents to 2 cents in November last year, Masud Ahmed Syeed, a lawyer for BTCL, told The Daily Star. The increased tariff will remain effective following the SC order, he added.

Four members of international gateway forum -- Orbit Telecom Limited, UK; Telecom Asia, Singapore; Transman Limited, Singapore; and ITC Limited, Singapore -- filed separate petitions with the HC, challenging the BTCL decision.

The HC on January 9 this year disposed of four petitions and ruled that the issue of increasing the international incoming call rates would be settled through arbitration.

Later, BTCL and international gateway forum filed two separate leave-to-appeal petitions with the SC.

After hearing the two petitions, the SC yesterday delivered the order.