Call charges go abnormally high
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Ltd, BTCL has raised its overseas call charges, at least in case of the UK for sure, by as much as three and a half times the previous rate. Since mid August, 2010, they are charging at the rate of TK.24 per minute for a call to the UK (land phone to land phone) irrespective of whether it is dialed through 012 or 00. It was (for dialing through 012) Tk. 7.50 per minute before. According to BTCL, their overseas call rates have been changed since mid August, 2010 as per instruction of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, BTRC. They have now done away with the economy ISD rate and made it same for both 00 and 012 dialing. Regrettably, this they have done with no prior notification.
Interestingly, their new rate for the USA, Canada and Japan is TK. 6.0 per minute now, but for the UK it is TK. 24.0 per minute. When enquired from the BTCL Trunk call division why it was so different and abnormal for the UK, compared to the other countries, they could not give a satisfactory reply except saying that they were doing it as per instruction of the BTRC.
According to BTRC website however, it is the same, that is TK.6.0 per minute for PSTN call charges to the UK. It is hard to believe that the telephone charges of BTCL for a country like the UK, where hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis are living, can be so different and abnormal.
May I, through this letter, draw attention of the authorities concerned and request for a thorough investigation of the matter so that the telephone subscribers, requiring to talk to their dear and near ones in the UK, do not have to pay unduly higher call charges.
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