BTRC
BTRC blocks 331 gambling, betting websites
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in its latest crackdown on online gambling and betting has blocked 331 websites.
On September 24, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar said the government had permanently blocked 6,000 gambling sites.
In a notice issued Monday, the telecom regulator BTRC said it also reported gambling and betting apps and links to Google, Facebook, and YouTube for blocking.
Read BTRC: Compensation for call drops from Oct 1
"Google blocked 14 gambling-related apps in Bangladesh after receiving more than 150 complaints. The multinational technology company is taking steps to review the other complaints," the telecom watchdog said.
The BTRC reported 27 links to Facebook and 69 to YouTube for gambling and betting lessons. The two social media giants blocked 17 links each and are reviewing the rest.
Credit or debit cards are required to buy game chips. As it has become easier to get credit or debit cards in Bangladesh, many have turned to online gambling or betting. Taking advantage of this, criminal groups are siphoning off crores of taka from Bangladesh, the BTRC said.
Read BTRC launches new unlimited data packages
The country's laws do not allow gambling and betting in Bangladesh. However, completing registration through credit or debit cards or mobile financial services, many are getting involved in online gambling or betting through diverse apps or websites during domestic or international football, cricket, tennis, and other matches after.
Shutting down the gambling and betting websites in Bangladesh, BTRC aims to continue Bangladesh government's sucess in removing harmful contents from the virtual world.
BTRC: Compensation for call drops from Oct 1
Mobile phone users will have to be compensated for call drops from October 1.
That's the curt message from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to telecom companies in this country.
According to new BTRC guidelines issued on Monday, mobile phone operators will have to compensate their customers by refunding talk time for call drops with effect from October.
Read: Govt has permanently blocked 22,000 porn sites and 6,000 gambling sites: Mustafa Jabbar
The new guidelines were unveiled at a press briefing at the regulator's headquarters by BTRC chairman Shyam Sunder Sikder and Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar who was there as the chief guest.
BTRC's New Guidelines:
A customer can get information about the previous day/week/month's net call drop amount through common USSD code (*121*765#) -- applicable for all mobile phone operators -- from October 1.
Mobile operators will compensate their subscribers with talk time of three pulses (30 seconds) for each call drop in case of 1st and 2nd call drops daily and four pulses (40 seconds) for each call drop in case of subsequent 3rd to 7th call drops as "financial and emotional loss."
Read No more than 15 SIM cards under 1 NID: BTRC to deactivate extras
Talk time refunded as compensation for call drops will be usable from the first call (00:00 hours) of the next day, which means no amount can be deducted from the customer's account for the call before the refunded talk time is fully utilised.
The customer should be informed within the next 24 hours through SMSes about the talk time refunded as a result of call drops.
An operator can refund the call minutes from that day of the occurrence of call drop if it wishes. A maximum period of 15 days will be applicable for the usage of the refunded talk time of the call drop.
Read BTRC launches new unlimited data packages
"If a customer receives a service by paying money, the operator should ensure proper service," Mustafa Jabbar said.
“If telecom companies invest in telecommunications infrastructure rather than compensating customers, call drop rates will decrease,” he added.
No more than 15 SIM cards under 1 NID: BTRC to deactivate extras
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is going to deactivate additional SIM (subscriber identity module) cards of those who have more than 15 registered under a national identity (NID) card soon.
As per the recent BTRC decision, a subscriber is allowed to register maximum 15 SIM cards against his/her NID, BTRC Vice Chairman Subrata Roy Maitra told UNB today.
Read:BTRC places indefinite suspension on GP SIM card sale
Additional SIM cards are registered against one NID – analogue and digital, he said.
The telecom regulator has urged subscribers to deactivate additional SIM cards against one NID from the respective customer care centres.
Read: BTRC launches new unlimited data packages
Besides, BTRC is collecting data of such SIM cards registered with one NID to take action.
On June 20, 2016, BTRC decided that 20 SIM cards can be registered against one NID card and later it reduced the number to five on August, 2017.
On October 24, 2017, the commission revised its decision and set the number at 15.
BTRC launches new unlimited data packages
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on Sunday introduced four new internet packages in a bid to ensure uninterrupted and hassle-free internet for Grameenphone and Teletalk users.Under the unlimited package, Grameenphone is offering 40GB data at Tk1,199 and 15GB data at Tk549 while Teletalk 26GB at Tk309 and 6GB at Tk127, said a press release.
Read: 80% of travel market remains unexplored: PalakOther operators will also introduce new unlimited data packages in phases, it added.Earlier on April 28, BTRC launched the highly anticipated unlimited internet data packs without any validity expiration for the first time.
Read BTRC receives Tk 2.78 crore fines from three mobile operators
BTRC receives Tk 2.78 crore fines from three mobile operators
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission realised Tk 2.78 crore as fines from three mobile phone operators of the country over the allegations of operating illegal VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol).
A total of Tk 2,78,25,000 fine have been collected from Robi, Grameenphone and Banglalink, said BTRC in a press release on Thursday.
Also read: BTRC places indefinite suspension on GP SIM card sale
Robi paid Tk 2.10 crore, Grameenphone Tk 52.5 lakh and Banglalink Tk15.75 lakh between July 12 to 14.
On April 10, the operators were asked to pay the fines after a hearing by the commission under sub-section 5 of section 65 of Bangladesh Telecommunication Act,2001, over the use of SIM (subscriber identity module) used in illegal VoIPs .
Also read: BTRC fines 4 mobile operators Tk 7.65 crore
BTRC places indefinite suspension on GP SIM card sale
The telecom regulator has placed an indefinite suspension on the SIM card sale of Grameenphone for the operator's failure to provide quality service.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) imposed an indefinite suspension on Grameenphone as it is not providing quality service to its users despite repeatedly being asked to do so, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar told UNB Wednesday.
Also Read: 5G internet within December: BTRC
"The telecom company has no intention to provide quality service, as it is not doing anything to fix the problems that its subscribers are facing," he added.
"The BTRC placed the sale of Grameenphone SIM cards on indefinite suspension as we do not want new uses to face the same problems."
5G internet within December: BTRC
BTRC Chairman Shyam Sunder Sikder said 5G internet will be introduced by all mobile operators within December next.
He said grassroots people, a technology-based education system, women, physically challenged people, and informal sectors have been prioritized to form Bangladesh Broadband Policy 2022.
Shyam Sunder Sikder revealed the information while speaking at a workshop in the capital on Tuesday.
Also Read: X80 5G available in stores
Brig Gen Md Nasim Parvez, Director General (System & Services), BTRC, presented details about the digital connectivity to implement blended education.
He said currently, the number of mobile phone users is 18.40 crore while the number of internet users is 12.50 crore.
Around 1, 47,975 kilometres in 4,431 unions have been connected with broadband internet across the country, Nasim added.
Telecom Minister unveils data packs sans validity in Bangladesh
Bangladesh Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar on Thursday unveiled mobile data packs without validity as well as unlimited monthly internet plan at BTRC head office.
Grameenphone users can now buy 15GB internet at Tk 1,099 and 5GB data at Tk 449. Robi users will have to pay Tk 319 for 10GB data, Banglalink customers Tk 306 for 5GB and state-owned Teletalk users Tk 449 for 5GB internet. These packs, however, come with a yearly recharge rider.
Also read: Each union to get high speed broadband internet by 2023: Mustafa Jabbar
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) chairman Shyam Sunder Sikder and representatives of the telecom service providers were present at the programme.
Mobile users can carry forward unused internet data
Mobile phone users in Bangladesh now can carry forward their mobile data while purchasing new data package in which they can use their unused data further.
Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar made the announcement at an event on the implementation of new directives on data and data related packages of mobile operators at Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission's (BTRC) premises in Dhaka on Tuesday.
According to the new directives, in case of data carry forward, if a customer buys 4GB data pack for a period of 3 days and if his 2GB or 1GB data is unused on the third day, then if customer buys the same 4GB data pack for 3 days period, his unused data will be added to the new pack. And a customer will have the opportunity to use the unused data of the pack for the next 30 days.
Read: Each union to get high speed broadband internet by 2023: Mustafa Jabbar
In addition, if a customer purchases the same amount of data and purchases data packs for different validity period, they will have the opportunity to carry it forward.
However, mobile phone users of the state-owned Teletalk can enjoy using their purchased internet data as long as there is data balance.
That means there will be no validity on internet data for Teletalk users.
Teletalk will implement this directive from March 17, on the occasion of birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he said.
Read Telecom Minister unveils data packs sans validity in Bangladesh
He said Bangladesh has come out of the limitation of having any validity on mobile data for the first time in the world.
The minister also expressed hope that other mobile operators after Teletalk will introduce this system in phases.
He urged the operators to keep the validity of the data package unlimited.
He also instructed the officials concerned including the mobile operators to look into the issue of financial loss of the customers as a result of the call drop.
Read:5G services to be rolled out on trial basis this year: Jabbar
Meanwhile, about the new package directives, BTRC Director General (System & Services) Md Nasim Parvez said each operator will be able to launch a total of 95 packages. There will be a maximum of 85 packages including regular package and customer centric special package (CCSP) and a maximum of 10 packages for research and development (R&D).
Besides, the validity of all packages will be 03/07/15/20 days.
He further said the number of packages has decreased by 50.4% now.
Read GP’s call drops decrease but continue to be highest, says BTRC Chairman
Quality of Bangla content needs to be ensured: Mustafa Jabbar
The quality of Bangla content should be assured to facilitate the usage of the language in technology, said Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar.
He was addressing the discussion "Use of Bangla in Technology" organised by telecom operator Robi in the capital Saturday.
"We must ensure the technological advancement of language for the next generation. Through research and development, 16 tools are being developed for the enrichment of Bangla in information technology," he added.
Read Mobile users to receive SMS-notifications in Bangla from telecom operators
"Although Bangla is the seventh most populous language in the world, it is not even ranked among the top 40 languages used on the internet. To reach out to people at all levels over the internet, the use of Bangla language needs to be increased," BTRC Director General Brigadier General Nasim Parvez said.
Shihab Ahmed, chief commercial officer of Robi, said, "We must move away from our reliance on entertainment-based content to practical content. Also, we will have to ensure that content is available through Bangla language search."
"We need to ensure the availability of Bangla terminologies on the internet," Telecom Reporters' Network Bangladesh President Rashed Mehedi said.
Read Don’t neglect mother tongue while learning other languages: PM
Muhammad Khan, founder and editor of techshohor.com, said: "Satisfaction over the use of Bengali language in technology is not more than 50 percent. To make progress in this area, more government actions are needed."
"Steps should be taken to enable expatriates to communicate with the government of the host country in Bangla."