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A total of Tk 9.48 crore in regulatory dues remains unpaid by 26 telecommunications operators, despite the recovery of Tk 51.14 lakh, leaving Tk 8.96 crore outstanding.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has stepped up enforcement across the telecommunications sector, pursuing unpaid dues, penalising non-compliant operators and restricting services to strengthen financial discipline and ensure compliance with licensing conditions.
The measures were approved at the commission’s latest meeting and cover international internet gateways (IIGs), internet service providers (ISPs), mobile number portability (MNP), national telecommunication transmission network (NTTN) and internet protocol telephony service providers (IPTSPs), according to official documents.
A major focus is the recovery of unpaid charges for unbilled bandwidth used by IIG operators.
Cybergate Ltd had outstanding dues of Tk 38.19 lakh after paying Tk 5 lakh. The commission allowed the company to clear the remaining Tk 33.19 lakh in 12 equal monthly instalments, subject to a 15 per cent annual late fee.
Earth Telecommunication Ltd paid Tk 25 lakh against its outstanding claim of Tk 96.26 lakh and was allowed to pay the remaining Tk 71.26 lakh in 12 equal instalments. Peerex Networks Ltd, which owes Tk 21.13 lakh, received a one-month extension to settle its dues.
The commission also decided to pursue outstanding payments from several other IIG operators through its Legal and Licensing Division.
The companies include Mango Teleservices Ltd, Aamra Technologies Ltd, Maxnet Online, Maxhub Ltd, Intraglobe Communication Ltd, 1 Asia Alliance Communication Ltd, BD Link Communication Ltd, Equitel Communication Ltd, Radiant Communication Ltd, Rego Communication Ltd and Planet Internet Gateway Ltd.
Separately, the BTRC fined Earth Telecommunication Ltd for operating an unauthorised TCLS point of presence at Benapole and sharing infrastructure without the commission’s approval.
Citing Section 65(5) of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation Act, 2001, the commission directed the company to pay the fine within 10 working days. The penalty amount requires verification against the original meeting record, which contains an inconsistency between the figure in digits and the amount written in words.
The commission also stepped up efforts to recover Tk 2.64 crore in unpaid charges for unbilled bandwidth owed to Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL).
In the ISP segment, the commission took action against operators for failing to submit mandatory information through the automated Data Information System (DIS).
Under the ISP Licensing Guidelines and licence conditions, operators are required to upload information on upstream and downstream bandwidth usage, subscribers and network performance.
