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Regulator moves to cut off-net mobile call rates

Abdullah Mamun
The telecom regulator has taken initiative to reduce off-net call (from one operator to another) charges for mobile phone users, said officials.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), the regulator, has already sent a proposal in this regard to the telecom ministry for approval.
BTRC Chairman Zia Ahmed said, currently a mobile operator charges as low as Tk 0.65/minute for calls to other operators (off net), which will be brought down to Tk 0.50 under the
new move.
The minimum and maximum on-net call charges — Tk 0.25 and Tk 2 — and the maximum off-net rate — Tk 2 — will remain unchanged.
The regulator will implement the new call charge as soon as the ministrygives the go-ahead, said Ahmed.
The telecom regulator also proposed a cut in SMS charges for the operators, said another official of the BTRC.
He said currently an operator charges Tk 0.20 for receiving SMS from other operators. The regulator has proposed bringing down the rate atTkO.10.
This SMS (short message system) rate is applicable for the operators only and they decide on the charges for the subscribers on the basis of this rate.
The official said the mobile operators now offer one minute pulse, and so customers pay for every minute no matter whether they talk for 20 seconds or 70 seconds. If a person talks for 70 seconds, he pays for 120 seconds or 2 minutes.
The regulator has beentryingto introduce a 10-second pulse for long but could not do so due to pressures from the operators, said the BTRC official
Recendy India has introduced one second pulse mandatory for all operators.
The BTRC official said the regulator has proposed the new tariff considering various factors.The new tariff will not affect the operators' earnings much, he added.
He said an operator spends Tk 0.22/minute for transferring a call to a different operator. So the operator still will have Tk 0.28 if the minimum off-net call rate is set at Tk 0.50, he said.
The existing minimum on-net charge at Tk 0.25 is still less thanTk 0.28, the official added.
Abu Sayeed Khan, secretary general of Association of Mobile Telecom Operators in Bangladesh, said there should not beany ceilingfor on-net call charges.
He said the ceiling for off-net call rates is understandable as these rates involve interconnection