Robi tops mobile service complaints

For businessman Mamun Hossain, his Robi number, which he took around nine to 10 years ago for its attractive offers, has become an important means of communication with colleagues, relatives and friends. But poor service has left him increasingly dissatisfied, while changing the number is not an easy option.

He said calls often drop during conversations, internet service is poor and network coverage is unavailable in many areas. Yet changing the number would mean informing everyone of the new number and dealing with various other complications.

Fresh university graduate Jahin Fardous Khan has faced similar problems. She relies heavily on the internet to search for foreign universities for higher studies and for many other essential tasks, but often finds no network when she needs it, while internet speeds are also below expectations.

She took the number as a student because of attractive packages and has since shared it with various organisations and individuals, making it difficult to change. She now uses a SIM from another operator as well.

Ride-sharing worker Rafiqul Islam also complained about network problems and what he considers relatively high internet package prices. He alleged that if he is late in purchasing a new package, his previous balance sometimes disappears.

"Why should the internet data I have paid for expire before I finish using it?" he asked.

Such complaints are also reflected in data from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), with Robi receiving the highest number of complaints among the country's four mobile operators over the past five and a half years.

According to BTRC sources and media reports, 66,705 complaints were filed against the four operators between January 2021 and June 2026. Robi accounted for 24,874 of them.

The complaints covered service quality, internet speed, value-added services, mobile number portability, recharge and billing, SIM registration, tariffs and call rates, among other issues.

BTRC data shows that Robi has resolved 24,839 of the complaints filed against it.

Mohiuddin Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Consumers Association, told The Daily Observer that complaints about service quality, data speed and volume, calls and SMS are directly linked to customers' everyday sufferings.

Customers regularly complain about poor network availability, dropped calls, slow internet speeds, data being exhausted quickly and money being deducted after unwanted services are activated, he said.

Many customers do not even know how to lodge complaints, while the absence of BTRC complaint-receiving facilities at the district level makes it difficult for others to seek redress, he added.

"If customers had active opportunities to lodge complaints, the number would not be a few thousand but several crores," Mohiuddin said, adding that regardless of the brand, customers want uninterrupted calls, fast and stable internet and effective network coverage.

BTRC Chairman Major General (retd) Md Emdad-Ul-Bari told The Daily Observer that complaints received by the commission are primarily second-level complaints. Customers are required to lodge complaints with their operator's customer service centre first. If the problem remains unresolved, they can approach the BTRC.

Once a complaint is received, the commission seeks accountability from the operator and asks why the issue has not been resolved, he said.

The commission also takes measures based on customer feedback collected through regular surveys, quality-of-service audits and public hearings held several times a year, the BTRC chairman said.

Robi Axiata PLC Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer Shahed Alam told The Daily Observer that more than 40 per cent of the issues raised with the BTRC concerning Robi were investigative or inquiry-related.

"We have carefully reviewed the complaints and issue-specific inquiries received from the BTRC and taken the necessary actions. Approximately 95 per cent of the complaints received from the BTRC have already been resolved," he said.

"Robi places the highest priority on improving the quality of customer service and resolving complaints promptly. At the same time, we regularly review our network and services and take necessary measures to improve customers' experience in various areas, including service quality, data speed and value-added services," Shahed said.

He added that telecommunications is a complex, technology-driven service where some complexities are inevitable.

"That is why, as in other countries, the regulator, the BTRC, sets the minimum service standards, and all mobile operators provide services in accordance with those standards," he said.