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Telenor seeks to know problems

Its CEO meets PM amid GP's standoff with telecoms regulator

UNB, Dhaka
Telenor Chief Executive Officer Jon Fredrik Baksaas met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Gono Bhaban yesterday evening and discussed matters relating to Grameenphone.
Norwegian telecoms giant Telenor is the major shareholder of mobile phone operator GP.
Jon Fredrik Baksaas, who was accompanied by Norway Ambassador in Dhaka Ragne Birte Lund, wanted to know whether there is any obstacle for them to do
business in Bangladesh, meeting sources said.
The prime minister assured the Telenor chief that there will be no impediment for them from the government side. She told him GP is entided to do business in the country as per rules and regulations, the sources said.
The meeting was held at a time when Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission and GP are at the loggerhead.
On October 3, BTRC, the telecommunication regulatory body of the country, sent a letter to the GP asking it to payTk3,034 crore.
The amount has been calculated by the regulator-appointed auditors on the basis of what it said unpaid share of its revenue, accumulated interests and unpaid tax on SIM cards.
But GP did not accept the government claims envisaged in the letter.
The BTRC said it would follow legal path as Grameenphone gave preconditions before sitting for discussion over the unpaid revenue and tax.
A GP delegation led by its Chief Communications Officer Kazi Monirul Kabir went to BTRC office last Monday and asked the telecom regulatory body to withhold the letter which they had sent earlier.
In the previous letter the BTRC asked Grameenphone to pay its unpaid revenue and tax amounting to Tk 3,034 crore by October 24 or face legal action.
Later, BTRC and GP decided to sit for discussion to resolve the dispute over the issue on October 10.
But the meeting was not held as BTRC did not agree to hold back the letter according to the precondition of GP.
Coming out from the BTRC office Kazi Monirul Kabir said they told the commission to hold back the letter first before holding any discussion.
BTRC Chairman Zia Ahmed told reporters that GP is reluctant to sit for dialogue. "Now we will follow the course of law.”
The October 3 letter asked GP for the payment of unpaid taxes including SIM tax, VAT and interest thereof up to March 31.
On behalf of the BTRC, chartered accountant firm Fazal & Co examined the GP's log books, reports, data, records, agreement between the company and other financial institutions, bills and other relevant documents.
Of the total amount, Tk 2,146.54 crore will go to the BTRC while Tk 887.57 crore to the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
Earlier, BTRC said it had found some other irregularities after auditing the operator's financial reports and related issues from its inception tillMarch31 last.
The company showed BTRC that it had 3.49 crore subscribers till March, but the commission said its investigation found the actual number is 4.49 crore.