The telecom regulator has asked mobile phone operator Robi to stop its promotional campaign Dekhiye Dao Quiz Show, one day before ending the campaign, as the offer violated relevant laws. ‘We asked Robi to stop the quiz show offer yesterday [Wednesday] as it violated the BTRC law. Mobile phone companies are not allowed to offer high-value products,’ Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission chairman Sunil Kanti Bose told New Age on Thursday.
The Robi, however, continued to run the campaign on Thursday which offered Robi subscribers a chance to win motorcycle and television by participating in a quiz show organised on a private TV channel.
When asked how Robi was running the offer ignoring BTRC order, Sunil Kanti said, ‘If Robi did so then I will look into the matter. As long as I am leading this organisation BTRC will do its best to serve its duty with dignity,’ he said.
The campaign was running from 14 November until yesterday as per the schedule.
Asked about the issue, Robi spokesman Mohiuddin Babar told New Age that the operator did not receive any such order from the BTRC.
‘We did not receive any such order either written or orally to stop the quiz show,’ he said on Thursday.
In Robi website, the Dekhiye Dao Quiz Show was put under the current offer segment which said, ‘Robi subscribers using Tk 10 in every hour may WIN a 3G Handset and Robi subscribers using Tk 20 in a day (everyday) shall have the chance to WIN a Bike /TV.’
According to clause 7 of BTRC’s Interim Directive on Tariff and Marketing Promotion, mobile phone companies are barred from offering any reward other than free talk-time, SMS and mobile handset.
‘The offer was exclusively for Robi subscribers who use at least Tk 20 daily. So the quiz show is eventually influencing Robi subscribers to spend more money to get motorcycle or TV as reward. So Robi cannot run or even sponsor such campaign,’ said a BTRC official.
BTRC in March asked Robi to stop its recharge based campaign Recharge Er Shadhinota for violation of laws where subscribers could win Samsung Galaxy smartphone by recharging highest number of times through DBBL mobile banking accounts.
In April 2013 BTRC stopped Robi’s G Win promotional campaign for violating the Interim Directive on Tariff and Marketing Promotion.
The repeated violation in mobile companies’ promotional campaign also raised question about the efficiency of the BTRC officials.
‘All those offers were initially approved by the BTRC and later stopped mentioning violation of laws. If those are violation then why BTRC approved those initially?’ a senior BTRC official told New Age, seeking annonimity.
‘Either the concerned officials are inefficient or they have their own interest to give benefit to the telecom companies,’ he said.
He also said that despite knowing the relevant rules it is not justified for Robi to apply for such campaign.
‘As Robi earlier faced injunction for stopping campaign in violation of Interim Directive on Tariff and Marketing Promotion so it is not right for it to apply for similar campaign,’ he said.
-With New Age input
