A senior official at the regulator told the BBC they had received scores of complaints from parents.

The rapid expansion of mobile phone use is driving social and economic change in Bangladesh. By the end of last year, Grameen was signing up one million new customers every 40 days. But many Bangladeshis are conservative, particularly when it comes to matters of the heart.

The country's biggest mobile phone operator, GrameenPhone, says it will meet its competitors to try to come up with a joint response.

The phone companies say they are surprised by the order, which the regulator says must be obeyed immediately.

One spokesman has been quoted as saying that if the authorities wish to stop young people meeting each other, by the same logic; fast food restaurants and universities should be shut down, too.