Dhaka, Dec 13 – The High Court on Thursday imposed a ban on hiking the mobile call rate and charging subscribers for dropped calls. The HC also directed the government to form a committee to determine the call rate.
In response to a writ petition, the HC bench comprising Tariq ul Hakim and Justice Md Shohrowardi came up with directives.
The HC also issued a rule asking the government and the mobile phone operators to explain in four weeks why increasing mobile call rates without holding any public hearing should not be declared illegal.
The telecommunication secretary, the BTRC chairman and CEOs of Grameenphone, Robi Axiata, Banglalink and Teletalk have been made respondents to reply to the rule within four weeks.
The writ petition was jointly filed by Law Reporters Forum members M Badiuzzaman and Mahedi Hasan Dalim, Mobile Phone Subscribers Association president Mohiduddin Ahmed and Supreme Court lawyer
Rashedul Hasan with the HC seeking its directive on authorities concerned to form a committee to decide financial compensation for mobile call drop and to issue a ban on sending disturbing texts.
Mobile operators — Grameenphone, Robi, Airtel, Banglalink and Teletalk — increased the mobile call rate without taking subscribers’ opinion which is illegal and against their rights, the petitioners said.
According to a report of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, the operators have dropped calls for a total 222 crore times between September 2017 and September 2018.
The operators did not compensate the subscribers for the dropped calls though they are supposed to do so.
Advocate Esrat Hasan appeared for the petitioners while deputy attorney general Amatul Karim represented the state. – Staff Reporter
