Following a recent policy decision, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has taken the initiative to conduct a comprehensive audit of Teletalk, the state-owned telecom company, for the first time.

Teletalk, as a state-owned entity, holds an important position in providing mobile and data services to a substantial portion of the population. The audit aims to assess the company's operations, financial health, and adherence to regulatory guidelines. When asked about the initiative, Musfiq Mannan Choudhury, Commissioner of BTRC, said, "We have already issued files to audit Teletalk". 

Previously, BTRC has conducted audits of the three private operators, namely Grameenphone, Robi, and Banglalink. However, this marks the first time that the government telecom operator Teletalk is being formally audited by the regulatory commission.

As per official sources, the regulatory body has received audit objections of more than BDT 14 thousand crore from the three private operators. BTRC has thus far collected a part of that amount, with the rest being collected in an ongoing process.

The telecom regulator 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 Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), at a meeting last month, approved the setting up of two committees in order to hire the audit firms.

Two tender evaluation committees for the audit process will also be formed, according to the meeting documents.

The information system audit aims to ensure that the equipment and processes within GP and Robi adhere to the guidelines of the commission. It makes sure compliance with rules and regulations, including the verification of revenue collected by the companies, so that the government receives its due share.

The decision to carry out the audits comes although the claims of the first audits into the operators haven't been settled yet.

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.

The claims include the amounts for unpaid annual spectrum fees, value-added tax, and revenue sharing. However, both operators disputed the sum and claimed that they did not evade any taxes.

The dispute triggered a legal battle between the operators and the BTRC, with the companies filing cases in 2019.

Based on the audit of GP from 1997 to 2014, the BTRC sent a demand notice in April 2019, asking it to clear the payments.

Later, GP filed the case before the district court against the claim. The Supreme Court in November of that year ordered the operator to give Tk 2,000 crore in three months to the commission.

Afterward, the appellate division directed the largest mobile phone operator of the country to deposit Tk 1,000 crore by February 2020 and another Tk 1,000 crore by May 2020. GP complied.

Of the Tk 12,579 crore, the operator hasn't yet cleared more than Tk 6,100 crore slapped as a late fee.

Additionally, it paid over Tk 2,392 crore out of Tk 4,085 crore owed to the National Board of Revenue.

GP did not respond to The Daily Star's request for comments yesterday regarding the BTRC's new audit process.

"We want an amicable solution on the rest of the dues claimed in the audit," Yasir Azman, chief executive officer of GP, told The Daily Star recently.

Out of Tk 867 crore, Robi, the second-largest operator of Bangladesh, paid Tk 138 crore in five instalments by May 2020 to comply with the order of the High Court Division.

According to Robi's annual report for 2022, a substantial part of the BTRC's claim includes the VAT on spectrum fees and VAT rebate/credit cancellation, which are either part of other ongoing litigations or in respect of which the BTRC has no jurisdiction to claim relevant amounts.

"We filed a general petition with the court five years ago, challenging the outcomes of the previous audit. The telecom regulator is yet to respond to the petition. Therefore, we haven't seen any progress on the sub judice matter," Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer at Robi Axiata, told The Daily Star.

"We hope the regulator will take necessary steps to resolve pending issues of the previous audit."

The regulator also conducted audits into Banglalink from 1996 to 2019 and asked the operator to pay more than Tk 820 crore last year.

Of the figure, Tk 390 crore has been sought as VAT, tax and fees, and outstanding dues related to revenue-sharing, handset royalty, access frequency and microwave frequency payments, and the licence fees as principal amount. The rest, or Tk 430 crore, was claimed as late fees.

The operator has deposited Tk 335 crore of the principal amount as of now and will pay the rest of the principal amount of Tk 390 crore in instalments, according to an official of the operator.

Banglalink is trying to mutually resolve the BTRC's audit outcome, so it hasn't filed any case.

An official of the BTRC told The Daily Star that the commission has sent a letter to the government on waiving the late fees.

The BTRC also took the initiative to audit other state-owned and private companies in the telecommunication ecosystem.

It has recently demanded payments from state-run Teletalk Bangladesh and Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited, asking them to clear dues amounting to a staggering Tk 3,000 crore collectively.

The country's three private mobile network operators are racing to grab a share of the rapidly expanding broadband market by offering fixed wireless access (FWA) services, which give users Wi-Fi connections without cables.

After the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) allowed mobile phone operators to launch FWA services in its cellular mobile services guidelines earlier this year, Grameenphone became the first to soft-launch such products.

It rolled out a service called "gpfi unlimited" yesterday.

Banglalink introduced FWA services last week in partnership with a third-party router supplier. Robi plans to roll out a similar service later this month.

The moves are expected to spark fierce competition in the Tk 8,000 crore broadband internet market in Bangladesh.

Competition will intensify not only among operators but also between network carriers and broadband internet operators.

In Bangladesh, telecom operators provide mobile internet while internet service providers (ISPs) offer broadband services.

Generally, mobile operators deliver services through cellular networks, utilising technologies such as 3G, 4G, and 5G, which enable wireless data transmission to smartphones and tablets, offering flexibility and mobility. On the other hand, broadband companies provide internet via fixed-line connections through cables or fibre optics.

In recent years, the broadband internet market in Bangladesh has expanded rapidly, with 1.34 crore subscriptions as of May, leading to the flourishing of a large number of service providers.

Now, mobile network operators will be able to offer similar services. In order to obtain the service, customers will need just an indoor modem or router and a subscription plan.

However, according to industry insiders, ensuring stable and high-speed connectivity with greater bandwidth and reliability compared to wired broadband will be difficult for operators.

Mohammad Sarwar Alam, assistant professor at the University of Chittagong, has been using 'gpfi' for over six months.

He identified the pros and cons of the service.

He said the internet speed is satisfactory, adding that he can take the router anywhere and use it wherever Grameenphone's network is available.

"However, if the user is present in a room while the router is kept in another room with the door closed, the internet speed starts to fluctuate."

Furthermore, the amount of available spectrum directly affects the capacity and speed of FWA services, posing a challenge for operators. This is because the deployment rate of higher frequency bands such as 2300 MHz and 2600 MHz, used for 4G LTE (long-term evolution), and potentially 5G technology, is low in Bangladesh.

Although the auction for these spectrum bands was held over two years ago, operators have deployed less than 20 percent of the frequencies they have purchased. These bands are crucial for FWA services as they support faster data rates and greater capacity, according to industry experts.

Grameenphone offers two types of routers: one priced at Tk 4,000, which can connect 10 devices, and another priced at Tk 7,500, which can support 32 devices.

Currently, there are three subscription plans: Tk 1,000 per month for 25 Mbps, Tk 1,300 per month for 30 Mbps, and Tk 1,900 per month for 40 Mbps.

As such, prices may be another barrier to mass usage as consumers can buy cheaper broadband packages from traditional ISPs.

Md Emdadul Hoque, president of the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh, stressed that mobile operators should not be allowed to provide any such services through cables.

Taimur Rahman, chief corporate and regulatory affairs officer of Banglalink, said: "Over the past 24 months, we have invested heavily in doubling our nationwide network coverage and enhancing our customers' digital experience by acquiring additional spectrum.

It now offers fixed wireless services through routers, including the Banglalink MiFi routers and fixed routers. Recently, the company partnered with TP-Link to provide high-quality speed with bundled offers.

"We believe in offering seamless, uninterrupted connectivity by combining mobile telephony and fixed wireless services, allowing customers to enjoy optimal internet speeds anytime, anywhere," Rahman said.

"We can do this, or this can be done through partnership models."

Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer of Robi Axiata Limited, said WFA has been launched in various countries around the world to cater to the growing demands for uninterrupted high-speed internet service.

Robi had completed preparations to provide wireless broadband services using advanced technology by combining 4G and 5G technology.

"The service will be launched on a wide scale soon," he said. "We believe that this service will open a new option for customers in terms of availing high-speed internet services."

He said competition in the internet service sector will increase through this initiative, providing quality internet service for consumers.

"However, to ensure customer satisfaction, we are conducting thorough market research and gathering overall experience on service delivery variables in this regard." 

The mobile internet speed was restored this morning 10 hours after it was slowed down by the telecom regulator.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) through an e-mail asked four mobile operators to restore the 3G and 4G services around 7:30am without mentioning details, said officials of the operators.

The BTRC yesterday night suddenly directed the mobile operators to slow down the internet by shutting down 3G and 4G services two days ahead of the 11th national election.

As per the BTRC order issued around 10:00pm yesterday, people using the internet on their phones would not be able to stream or upload pictures or videos.

Use of communication apps would also be nearly impossible with the low-speed mobile internet.

As of November, over six crore people are currently using the 3G and 4G mobile internet.

Only 2G internet was available last night.

During the demonstrations for safe roads in August, the BTRC slowed down internet speed for almost 24 hours.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has recently cancelled the licences of 14 internet service providers (ISPs) for not renewing their licences in time.

The telecom regulator directed the cancelled licensees to surrender their licences to the commission in 10 days, according to the BTRC documents.

The ISPs are: Bornil Network System Ltd, IT Next Technology, Cyber Communication, New Generation Internet Services Ltd, Asian City Online (BD) Ltd, Apon Enterprise, Sparking World Reign ICT, Segun Bagicha Safenet Online Speed Online, Vestel Cable Tv Networks Ltd, Web Solution, Chandpur Net, Airnet Communication.

The regulator declared all activities of these ISPs fully illegal and punishable under the Bangladesh Telecommunication Act 2001.

The telecom regulator also warned everyone concerned not to enter any deal or carryout any financial transactions with these ISPs.