Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu on Sunday said the quality of services by all the mobile network operators in the country is falling. “In recent times, the quality of services by all the mobile operators is declining. The connections are frequently being cut off…call drops are happening. It’s a concern for me as a consumer because the consumer has to pay,” he told a national dialogue.
The dialogue, titled ‘Commercial Freedom: Key to Sustainable Development of Telecommunication Industry’, was organised by Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP) at Cirdap. Inu, also the former chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Posts and Telecommunications Ministry, complained that the quality of voice transmission during the calls has also fallen.
Although the regulatory body has the device to detect the problems in the voice transmission, the steps to use that are not visible, he added. The Information Minister said the government is keen on protecting the business interest of the mobile operators. “But we need to be cautious so that the consumer interest is not violated in the name of business interest,” he said. The government believes in light regulation to allow commercial freedom in the sector, but the regulatory body must act to harmonise the interests of the business, of the government, and above all of the consumers, he added.
“We believe in facilitating commercial freedom to enhance competition, and for the development of the ICT industry, through a consultative approach,” he said. In his keynote presentation, Barrister Aneek Rushd Haque also advocated for a consultative approach between the telecom regulator and the operators to ensure that the growth of the industry continues and push for a connected Bangladesh.
Presided over by chairman of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, the dialogue was also addressed by ICT Minister Mostafa Faruque Mohammad, Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, BTRC chairman Sunil Kanti Bose and BUP executive director Nilufar Banu. – UNB
