The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission on Wednesday said apps or content worth over Tk 50 could not be purchased through mobile balance.
The BTRC directive came following an order from Bangladesh Bank in line with the mobile financial services guideline which regulates the financial activities through mobile phone network.
According to the BTRC directive issued on the day, any mobile users can purchase apps or content up to Tk 50 from the mobile balance.
The approval of using mobile balance is necessary as the mobile financial services guideline is not widely used, it also said.
If any apps or content costs more than Tk 50, then the users have to pay the amount from his/her bank
account or mobile wallet, BTRC officials said.
‘We had to set a bar on content purchasing from mobile balance as if it was unlimited, then the users might face difficulties on voice communications,’ a BTRC official told New Age.
If users are allowed unlimited amount for apps purchasing, then they might run out of balance and do not have enough talk time in crisis situation, he said.
Another BTRC official, however, said barring the content providing
through mobile balance would eventually help the banks as they
would be able to charge mobile users for content purchasing.
‘When it will be more than Tk 50, then the money transaction will go through the banking channel and banks will charge for the service,’ he said.
He also said as the mobile operators got 3G licence, apps or mobile content would be an important consumer item in the coming days.
The BTRC directive also said the existing financial services by the mobile phone companies like paying utility bills or purchasing rail ticket would follow the existing process.
-With New Age input
