Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has recently decided to fine 17 International Internet Gateway (IIG) service operators a total of Tk 45 lakh for violating rules, including under invoicing, not sharing revenue and changing share structures without prior approval. 

The telecom regulator took the decision in an internal meeting based on reports of its Enforcement and Inspection Directorate.

The IIG companies operate as international gateways for internet traffic, managing the data flow between the country and the rest of the world and enabling internet service providers and telecom operators to access the global internet.

Of the highest amounts, Mango Televerservices, I-Tel, Fibre@Home and Apple Communication were each fined Tk 5 lakh, Peerex Network Tk 4 lakh, Windstream Communication, Max Hub and Velocity Networks each Tk 3 lakh, and Virgo Communications, Summit Communications and Level3 Carrier Limited each Tk 2 lakh.

Several of the IIG operators have not complied with the rules and some hid sales data to avoid revenue sharing

The BTRC also decided to issue warnings on 10 other IIG operators.

Several of the IIG operators have not complied with the rules and some hid sales data to avoid revenue sharing, Shyam Sunder Sikder, chairman of the BTRC, told The Daily Star yesterday.

Routine inspections were carried out at the network operation centres, data centres, office addresses and telecommunication equipment of the IIG service operators licenced under the BTRC and necessary data and documents were collected.

Inspection teams analysed necessary data and related documents to verify upstream and downstream bandwidth usage information, VoIP related configuration and revenue verification of the entities.

The irregularities include falsification of downstream bandwidth records to depict very low sales and changing of share structures and different addresses without the BTRC's prior approval.

Some also did not share quarterly revenue data, pay annual licensing fees on time and complete financial audits, among others.