Minister suggests tougher steps against telecom bill defaulters

Telecom Minister Rashed Khan Menon yesterday asked the telecom regulator to collect outstanding bills from telecom companies, especially international gateway (IGW) operators.
The regulator must be tough to collect thousands of crore taka in outstanding bills, Menon said.
The minister spoke at a meeting with the officials of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission during his first visit to the BTRC office in the capital yesterday after getting charge of the telecom ministry last month.
The minster also asked the regulator to take legal actions against some of the IGW operators that have outstanding bills. “I will give you all the support you need.”
IGW operators transport international incoming calls at $.03 a minute and share 51.75 percent of the revenue with the regulator, according to the guideline.
The regulator would go tough in collecting revenues from IGWs and taking legal actions against the defaulters, BTRC Chairman Sunil Kanti Bose said.
Telecom operators have more than Tk 2,611 crore in outstanding bills for spectrum charges, revenue sharing and annual licence fees as of June, according to the BTRC.