The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has decided to carry out information system audits although settlement of the previous audits on Grameenphone (GP) is yet to reach an end.
The country's telecom regulator BTRC first audited GP in 2011 and Robi in 2014. The audits covered the operators' activities from their inception until the end of the audit period.
The telecom regulator ran separate audits into the two operators from their inception to December 2014 and claimed Tk 12,579 crore from GP and Tk 867 crore from Robi.
Out of Tk 867 crore, Robi, the second-largest operator of Bangladesh, paid Tk 138 crore in five installments by May 2020 to comply with the order of the High Court Division.
Robi filed a general petition with the court five years ago, challenging the outcomes of the BTRC previous audit. The telecom regulator is yet to respond to the petition.
The BTRC has decided to carry out information system audits into Grameenphone and Robi Axiata in the years since 2015 and form committees to start the process of appointing auditors.
The BTRC on April 2024, approved the setting up of two committees in order to hire the audit firms.
The claims include the amounts for unpaid annual spectrum fees, value-added tax and revenue sharing. However, Robi Axiata disputed the sum and claimed that they did not evade any taxes.
Despite this, Robi increased its dividend payout for 2024, recommending a 15 per cent cash dividend for its shareholders, compared to the 10 per cent cash dividend paid in 2023.
Meanwhile, In 2024, it posted a stellar 119 per cent growth in profit to Tk 703 crore, with earnings per share (EPS) at Tk 1.34, a significant increase from Tk 321 crore in 2023.
However, its revenue stood at Tk 9,950 crore in 2024, reflecting a modest 0.1 per cent increase from Tk 9,942 crore in 2023. Year over year, its voice revenue grew by 0.7 per cent, while data revenue increased by 2.2 per cent, according to a press release.
Besides, its net profit stood at Tk 321 crore last year, marking a 76 per cent annual growth in net profit. Meanwhile, Robi had paid a 10 per cent cash dividend to its shareholders for 2023. Earlier, it had paid a 7 per cent cash dividend for 2022.
The telecom operator's Robi's subscriber base decreased by about 20 lakh, ending the year 2024 with 5.67 crore active subscribers.
Robi commenced operations in 1997 as Telekom Malaysia International (Bangladesh) with the brand name "Aktel."
In 2010, it was rebranded as Robi, and the company changed its name to Robi Axiata Ltd. The company later merged with Airtel. The mobile network operator raised Tk 523 crore from the stock market through an initial public offering in 2020.
Axiata Group Berhad owns 61.82 pewr cent of Robi, Bharti Airtel of India owns 28.18 per cent and institutional investors and the general public hold the remaining 10 per cent jointly.
