The telecom regulator has short-listed three international companies for developing a centralised monitoring system to curb illegal business of voice over internet protocol.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission officials said the three companies — SGS, Sofrecom and N Soft — had been selected and their names had been sent to the telecom ministry for final decision.
According to BTRC document, the regulator will purchase the solution for three years from a vendor who has minimum five years of experience in international call fraud detection.
The BTRC officials said although illegal call termination was increasing in the country, mostly outside Dhaka, the bureaucratic tangle was delaying the process of introducing the monitoring system.
They said despite taking a number of steps in last one year to curb illegal VoIP business the regulator achieved less-than-expected success because of the absence of the centralised monitoring system.
‘A section of government officials are hindering the process of establishing a centralised monitoring system as it might affect their personal interest,’ a senior BTRC official told New Age on Sunday.
He said a number of government officials were charged by the Anti Corruption Commission for illegal VoIP business.
‘So, if there is a centralised system, which can effectively track illegal call termination, some people within the system might get caught,’ he said.
According to the BTRC officials, currently the country records around 4-crore minutes of international calls everyday of which 1 crore minutes are routed illegally.
A powerful group of IGW operators is pressing the government to lower the international incoming call charge to 1.5 US cents from existing 3 cents.
Some ministers and prime ministers’ advisers and BTRC high-ups are also involved with the initiative which will cause Tk 1,073 crore revenue loss per year, according to BTRC analysis.
The finance ministry has twice rejected the proposal but the BTRC recently sent the proposal again.
The Awami League-led government in 2012 awarded 25 licences — mostly to people linked to the ruling party who made the market instable and already have huge amount of dues to the BTRC.
The BTRC is facing problems in realising the dues because of the strong political backup of the new companies.
-With New Age input
