Illegal VoIP business

Staff Correspondent

BTRC has fined Grameenphone Tk 250 crore for illegal VoIP business, the second time the country's largest mobile phone operator has been penalised for such rogue activities, the telecom regulators announced Thursday.

GP chief of public relations Syed Yamin Bakht told bdnews24.com that the company had received notice of the fine and had already made a payment.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission said the Tk 250 crore financial penalty came as GP provided E1 connectivity to third parties enabling the use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

BTRC launched a full investigation and confirmed the company's illegal VoIP connectivities after suspicions arose in January this year, the statement said.

In 2007, GP paid a fine of Tk 168.40 crore for similar offences.

BTRC said it trusts that telecommunication operators will refrain from facilitating illegal VoIP ventures, directly or indirectly.

"The operators are expected to cooperate with the government to prevent such activities in the future," the statement quoted BTRC chief Manzurul Alam as saying.

The BTRC chairman added that no-one will be spared if found involved in any capacity in the illegal call termination business.

"We deeply regret that such unlawful practices were carried out and not disclosed earlier by Grameenphone," said Anders Jensen, chief executive of Grameenphone, said in a statement.

"We have cooperated with BTRC in the investigations and the Grameenphone Board also mandated an investigation by an external auditor to look into all aspects of our operations to ensure that we fully comply with all laws and regulations," he said.

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