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.

Grameenphone continues to have the highest number of call drops in Bangladesh though it has declined a little following pressures, said Bangladesh Telecommunication and Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Shyam Sunder Sikder on Thursday. “I myself is a sufferer of the poor network as a mobile user and my woes are greater as I am responsible to ensure quality service to 17 crore people of the country,” the BTRC chairman told the journalists of Telecom Reporters' Network Bangladesh (TRNB) at the BTRC head office. BTRC is conducting test drives at 300 upazilas to ease the problem of poor network and call drops, he said. Read HC forms committee to supervise BTRC’s activities to solve mobile service issues Already the test drive has been completed in 227 Upazilas covering an area of `12,800 kilometers, said Shyam Sunder. He said according to the test drive report from Rangpur, mobile users are facing the worst situation of call drops from all the telecom operators. “We have continued our pressure on the telecom operators by sending letters and instructions on a regular basis along with the drive,” he said. Read Genex Infosys to operate BTRC helpline, provide AI chatbot services He said two high-profile committees have been formed led by the vice-chairman and commissioner. Data is being collected from the operator offices and fields and they are being informed about their network service condition as there are issues with data forwarding too, said the BTRC head. “On March 8, we last auctioned network spectrums to the operators and aim to auction three more spectrums of-2.3, 2.6, and 3.5 megahertz again in March 2022”, he said. Read How to Check Official Phone Using BTRC IMEI Number? The BTRC scheduled the auction in December but it was postponed at the request of the operators, he said.

Dhaka, July 12 (UNB)–Even as mobile phone users continue to complain about regular call drops and poor internet services, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission(BTRC)is yet to take anyinitiative to address the growing menaces.