Grameenphone gets two weeks to inform SC how much it can pay BTRC

The top court has given Grameenphone two weeks to say the minimum payment it can make to clear Tk 125.8 billion in 'unpaid dues' to the telecom regulator.

The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain gave the mobile operator until Nov 14 to respond after hearing a petition by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission or BTRC challenging a High Court order on the disputed audit claim.

Lawyers AM Amin Uddin, Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Mehedi Hasan Chowdhury, Sharif Bhuiyan and Sharif Bhuiyan and Tanim Hossain Shaon argued the case for Grameenphone while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Khandaker Reza-e-Rakib represented the BTRC.

“The BTRC claims total Tk 125.8 billion from 1996, which is not lawful. Of the amount, Tk 21.9 billion has already been paid. So bringing allegation about a settled issue after 19 years is questionable. Because, of the claims, 23 percent is the principal amount while the remaining 77 percent is interest on the principal amount,” lawyer Mehedi told reporters.

“Grameenphone is ready to pay all legitimate claims,” he said.

On Oct 24, the Appellate Division set Thursday to pass an order  in response to the petition by the BTRC challenging the High Court order on the disputed audit claim, after hearing the arguments of both sides.

The High Court on Oct 17 froze for two months a lower court order requiring Grameenphone to clear the audit demand.

The High Court ban on the BTRC move is still in effect because the Appellate Division adjourned the hearing until November, said Grameenphone in a statement after the top court’s order.

Expressing concern about the BTRC’s ‘non-cooperation’ despite the top court’s order, it said, 'We urge the BTRC to take steps to normalise our business operations by respecting the court’s order.

"We hope that the BTRC will take appropriate steps and allow us to unload goods stuck in customs, import materials for network expansion and offer new products and services to the customers."

The mobile telecom operator has reaffirmed its commitment on a transparent and constructive resolution of the BTRC's disputed audit claims.

Besides Grameenphone, another operator Robi also has over Tk 8.67 billion in unpaid bills, according to the BTRC.

In a reprisal for the failure of the operators to pay up the “dues” despite reminders, it ordered the International Internet Gateway or IIG operators to limit Grameenphone’s bandwidth capacity by 30 percent and Robi’s 15 percent on July 4.

It was followed by the decision to stop issuance of NOCs and other approvals before notices were served on Grameenphone and Robi on Sept 5. The notices asked them to explain why their licences to offer 2G and 3G services will not be revoked over the failure to pay up.