Mobile phone operator Banglalink said it exercises zero tolerance policy against all suppliers and partners if they are failed to meet the highest standards and compliance.
“Banglalink is a fully compliant company, committed to enforcing and upholding the highest standards,” said the operator’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Erik Aas in a statement.
He said: “Banglalink expects all its suppliers and partners to meet the same standards and has zero tolerance for any failure to do so.”
The operator said it is not aware of any impropriety and is absolutely committed to full compliance with regulations with regards to customer verification.
“Banglalink is fully behind the biometric verification exercise and has actively supported this important project from the very beginning,” added Erik Aas.
Banglalink, a subsidiary of Netherlands based global telecommunication provider VimpelCom Limited, said as an immediate step, it has suspended its relationship with M R Communications distributor and will take measure based on inquiry.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood, however, had told BSS earlier that said: “That is not enough. Operator has to take the responsibility of retailers’ unlawful jobs.”
Mentioning that the “ultimate responsibility” lies with the operators, he said: “We (BTRC) are not happy with that”.
Dr Mahmood also termed the cancellation of retailer-ship by Banglalink as the “way of avoiding responsibility”.
On February 9, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested private operator Banglalink’s zonal manager as well as owner and manager of its retailer M R Communication along with 58 sales agents for their involvement of using false information for selling new SIM cards.
During the raid to MR Communication’s office, RAB found its staff using false addresses, printing fake national ID cards, and attaching copies of them to SIM card registration forms, in presence of the Banglalink zonal manager.
The elite force said MR Communication gave targets to its sales agents to sell at least 8,000 SIM cards per month. In a hurry, the sales agents just took finger prints and the national ID numbers to activate the SIM cards and give them to customers but they did not take photos or other information. Later, they used to fill a fake form and attach copies of fake national ID cards and photos with it.
According to the RAB officials, they found a mismatch between customers’ information and their addresses while investigating some recent complaints of threats, reports BSS.
