Strict BTRC action over 8,682 illegal SIMs as operators express concerns
BTRC Fines Four Mobile Operators BDT 8.68 Crore for VoIP
- Four mobile operators fined BDT 86.82 million for illegal VoIP operations.
- BTRC issues notices at BDT 10,000 per SIM to Robi, Banglalink, Teletalk, and GP.
- Operators claim most flagged SIMs were already barred; urge review
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has fined four major mobile operators—Robi Axiata, Banglalink, Teletalk, and Grameenphone—a total of BDT 86.82 million (8.68 crore) for detecting 8,682 SIM cards linked to illegal international call termination (VoIP). BTRC issued separate notices on July 21, signed by Deputy Director Sharmin Sultana, imposing an administrative fine of BDT 10,000 for each illegal SIM.
Robi Axiata faced the highest penalty of BDT 59.35 million for 5,935 flagged SIMs. Additionally, Banglalink was fined BDT 18.82 million (1,882 SIMs), state-owned Teletalk BDT 6.81 million (681 SIMs), and Grameenphone BDT 1.84 million (184 SIMs). BTRC stated that joint operations with NTMC uncovered the scam in Chittagong and Comilla, and accused the operators of failing to implement preventive measures. The operators have been given 10 days to deposit the fine.
Meanwhile, the mobile operators have expressed strong reservations against the penalty. Towhid Ahmed, Head of Corporate Communications at Banglalink, stated that most of the flagged SIMs were already barred by their internal self-regulation systems prior to regulatory intervention, making the fine unjustified. Barrister Shahed Alam, Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer of Robi, claimed they had not received any formal notice and noted that over 95% of the cited SIMs were already disconnected. Grameenphone's Head of Communications, Sharfuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, urged authorities to hold individual subscribers accountable rather than penalizing operators for biometric registration misuses.
//DBTech/SME/NMI//
