Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission will serve a show-cause notice on mobile phone operator Robi for violating rules in a recent promotional campaign, said the commission officials.
The Robi in a recent promotional offer, Ghachang Talk More, offered its subscribers holiday trip for couple and 46 inch Samsung Smart Internet TV on the basis of highest usage of voice and data services and recharge on daily basis, they said.
According to the Robi offer, a winner will be selected on the basis of highest hourly usage of voice calls who will win couple holiday trip to Cox’s Bazar and Sylhet.
Another winner will be selected on highest daily recharge and highest daily voice calls and data usage who will win a 46 inch Samsung Smart Internet TV, said the offer.
BTRC officials said Robi has violated clause 7 of the Interim Directive on Tariff and Marketing Promotion that barred mobile phone companies from offering any reward other than free talk-time, SMS and mobile handset.
The Robi offer also did not mention of the opt-out process from the campaign which was also in violation of the BTRC rules, said the commission officials.
‘We are looking into the matter and will serve a show-cause notice to Robi for their clarification,’ a senior BTRC official told New Age on Wednesday.
He said the problem with such lucrative promotional offer is that there is lack of transparency in the winner selection process.
Asked about the issue, Robi said it is a common practice among mobile operators which the BTRC never questioned before.
‘BTRC allows operators
to offer handsets as promotional rewards. Under that condition, operators have been offering internet devices such as dongles, iPads, tabs, note pads, etc. as promotional rewards against airtime usage,’ Robi said in a statement to New Age on Thursday.
‘The internet TV is just another form of internet device that accesses a mobile network, that the device is also a TV is coincidental,’ it said.
Robi also said, ‘To the best of our knowledge the BTRC has not complained when the other operators were rewarding their customers with tablets or extravagant holiday offers at home and abroad. We believe that BTRC will also support us in the same manner’.
-With New Age input
