Reduce call rate, offload shares
Speakers at a press conference yesterday called on the cellphone operators to reduce call charges and offload shares in their companies.
They also urged the government to cancel the licences of the cellphone, PSTN and ISP operators who are guilty of illegal Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) business.
Citizens' Rights Movement organised the press conference at the Jatiya Press Club in the city.
Tusher Rehman, secretary general of Citizens' Rights Movement, said inter-state call in India costs maximum 70 paisa per minute while the rate is 40 paisa to other operators within the state, 20 paisa inside the operator and short messages cost 1 to 10 paisa each.
The call rate is 3 cents or Tk 1.5 in the USA but we pay Tk 1.5-Tk 2.3, he said.
"Bangladesh Telecom-munication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is doing nothing to preserve the interest of the subscribers," added Tusher.
Citizens' Rights Movement also demanded formation of a social review council to ensure transparency and accountability of BTRC and urged the government not to allocate the VOIP licence to foreign owners.
Prof ABM Farooq of pharmaceutical technology department of Dhaka University said although we are living in a least developing country, we are paying more than the developed countries.
Former BTRC chairman Syed Margub Morshed, Advocate Yusuf Hossain Humayan and Barrister Sadia Arman were also present on the occasion.
Comments