Mobile operators face show-cause notices over unused balance

The telecom regulator yesterday served show-cause notice on Banglalink, Teletalk, Citycell and Robi for their failure to deposit the unused balance of blocked connections between 2008 and 2014.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission did not give a timeframe to the operators to reply to the notice. Robi received two show-cause notices: one for itself and another for Airtel.

The telecom regulator last month directed all six mobile operators to deposit the unused balance of blocked connections, but only Grameenphone complied with it.

On February 9, Grameenphone deposited Tk 7.33 crore to the BTRC after deducting 15 percent value-added tax from the unused credit.

The telecom regulator had also sought information from the operators on the blocked connections but the five operators failed to do that as well.

Contacted, Kazi Golam Quddus, the newly-appointed managing director of Teletalk, said: "We are in the process of finalising our calculation of unused balance and within a short time we will reply to the BTRC."

Banglalink said it has responded to the previous notice of the regulator within the stipulated time.

But the operator did not make any comment on the yesterday's notice.

Banglalink said it did not violate any directive and sought to have a meeting with the regulator to discuss the matter. Robi officials did not respond to phone calls and messages.