Daily mobile recharge capped at Tk 500

The telecom regulator yesterday directed all mobile phone operators to cap daily recharge at Tk 500 for a single prepaid mobile number in order to prevent illegal calls overseas.

However, mobile phone operators say the directive will create inconvenience for their different existing services and also have an impact on the country’s digitization process.

Currently there is no bar on the daily recharge, though Tk 1,000 is the limit for every single recharge.

At the same time, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in its directive increased the volume of mobile transaction figure from the existing Tk 100 to Tk 300 for each maximum transaction.

The postpaid mobile phone users will be able to recharge the billed amount, said the directive, signed by the Mohammad Zulfikar, a director of Systems and Services Division at BTRC.

BTRC Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood said they have taken it on an experimental basis and if they find negative impacts from the market, the regulator will review the move.

But another senior official of the telecom watchdog said the government has told them to issue a directive regarding it and they have just complied with the order.

Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh requested the telecom regulator to revisit the directive saying the benefits of users need to be reconsidered.

“Size of all existing bundle packages is more than Tk 500 and it will directly hamper the immediate effect,” said TIM Nurul Kabir, secretary general of AMTOB.

Kabir said they want a consultation meeting regarding this issue and make the regulator understand how this will impact the digitisation process.

A senior executive officer of a mobile phone operator said the directive is implementable.