The High Court will on Monday deliver its verdict on a Grameenphone writ petition challenging the telecom regulator's notice that demanded additional money for the radio frequency it sold four years ago.
After concluding the final hearing on the petition yesterday, the HC bench of Justice Farid Ahmed and Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif fixed February 13 for the verdict.
It came after Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, on October 17, asked GP to pay an extra Tk 236.8 crore for the radio frequency in 1800 megahertz band, which the operator bought for 18 years in 2008.
GP filed the writ on October 23. On October 26, the HC issued a rule upon the BTRC to explain why the notice should not be declared illegal.
It also stayed the effectiveness of the regulatory notice.
In the notice, the telecom regulator asked GP to pay Tk 3,624.03 crore as its licence renewal and spectrum assignment fees within 10 days. It demanded an additional Tk 236.8 crore as spectrum assignment fee.
It also asked GP to pay all the money without any deduction -- a clause, which has also been challenged by the mobile operator.
Currently, telecom operators pay charges to the regulator deducting 15 percent to be paid to National Board of Revenue as VAT.
Barrister Khandaker Raza-E-Raquib, a lawyer for BTRC, said the hearing of the case between the telecom watchdog and GP was finished on Wednesday.
He said the judgment will come out on Monday.