Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has fined four mobile phone operators, including State-owned telecom operator Teletalk, Tk 7.65 crore on allegations of operating illegal VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). BTRC fined Teletalk Tk 5 crore, Robi Tk 2 crore, while Grameenphone and Banglalink were fined Tk 50 lakh and Tk 15 lakh respectively for disobeying the commission's directive and licensing conditions, said BTRC notification. Also read:BTRC's spectrum auction: Govt earns revenue of Tk 10,645 crore These operators have been instructed to pay the administrative fines by June 30. The letter signed by BTRC Secretary Md Nurul Hafiz was recently sent to the mobile operators concerned, it said. The BTRC fined these operators after hearing over the seizure of SIM (subscriber identity module) used in illegal VoIPs while conducting drives at various times. Also read: HC forms committee to supervise BTRC’s activities to solve mobile service issues The BTRC has also warned the operators to comply with some instructions. The commission has seized 32,845 SIMs of Teletalk, 16,390 of Robi, 2,356 of Grameenphone and 753 of Banglalink, it added.

As many as 213 unauthorised mobile handsets were seized from a market in the city’s Mirpur area on Tuesday. Enforcement and Inspection Team of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab-4) made the seizure during a drive at eight shops in Mirpur Shopping Complex, the BTRC said in a statement. Also read: BTRC's spectrum auction: Govt earns revenue of Tk 10,645 crore During the drive, the law enforcers detained six people who were involved in the business of unauthorised mobile handsets for a long time. Legal processes are underway against the detainees under Bangladesh Telecommunications Act, 2001, reads the statement.

The 3G and 4G mobile internet services have been restored in Dhaka division after 11 hours of being suspended since Friday morning. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) through an email asked to restore the 3G and 4G services around 4pm in Dhaka division, said officials of the operators. The service was restored in Barishal division at 5pm, at 6pm in Khulna, and at 7pm in Sylhet, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, and Rangpur as per the instruction of BTRC. However, it was not mentioned when the mobile service would be restored in Chattogram division. Read:3G, 4G mobile internet services ‘suspended’ in Bangladesh Earlier, cellphone users were largely unable to use the internet through mobile data as mobile internet speeds in the country have been awfully slow since Friday morning. Contacted, mobile operators told the UNB correspondent that the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has directed them through a notice to keep the 3G and 4G mobile data services suspended across the country from Friday 5am until further direction. As UNB sought his comments, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar said the 3G and 4G mobile internet services have been suspended due to some technical glitches.

Private mobile operator Grameenphone (GP) on Tuesday deposited another Tk 1,000 crore to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) as ordered by the apex court.

A number of people have been arrested in Chandpur, Khagrachhari, Chattogram, Dhaka  and Kishoregqnj districts on charges of spreading rumours about coronavirus.