BTRC fines four mobile operators Tk 86.82cr over illegal VoIP

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has imposed a combined fine of Tk 86.82 crore on four mobile operators after finding that 8,682 of their SIM cards were used for illegal Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) activities.

The regulator has directed Robi Axiata, Banglalink, Grameenphone and state-owned Teletalk to pay the fines within 10 days. The notices, signed by BTRC Director Sohel Rana, were sent to the chief executives of the private operators and the managing director of Teletalk.

Robi Axiata received the largest penalty of Tk 59.35 crore after investigators found that 5,935 of its SIMs had been used for illegal international call termination.

Banglalink was fined Tk 18.82 crore for 1,882 SIMs linked to the same offence. Teletalk was ordered to pay Tk 6.81 crore over the misuse of 681 SIMs, while Grameenphone was fined Tk 1.84 crore after 184 of its SIMs were found involved in illegal VoIP operations.

According to BTRC, the operators failed to take adequate measures to prevent illegal international call termination, violating provisions of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation Act, licence conditions and regulatory directives.

The commission had earlier issued separate notices on July 21, stating that operators would face an administrative penalty of Tk 10,000 for every SIM found to be involved in illegal VoIP activities.

The matter gained public attention on Saturday night after reports emerged about the penalty imposed on Grameenphone. It later became clear that the regulator had also fined the country’s three other mobile operators for the same violations.