JS body to ask BTRC for lowering mobile charges
Staff Correspondent
A parliamentary body yesterday decided to ask Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to fix lower call tariff for mobile phone calls in line with its recommendations and implement it within three months. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications decided to ask BTRC to fix the pre-paid mobile phone call charge at Tk 5 per minute including Vat (value added tax) for peak hours and Tk 3 for off-peak hours. Pre-paid cellphone charge is Tk 6.90 per minute now. It also decided to ask BTRC to reduce the post-paid call charges by Tk 1 to 2 per minute. "We will soon send a letter to BTRC to implement the committee's recommendations," Committee Chairman GM Fazlul Haque told reporters after the meeting held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. The parliamentary body also discussed the Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board's (BTTB) mobile phone project. Referring to the BTTB officials the committee chairman said BTTB mobile phones will be available in December, adding that its call charges will be lower than the private operators'. The parliamentary body also asked the BTRC to take steps so the 21 private companies that got licence for fixed phones start their operation immediately.
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