Measure aims to check
illegal VoIP business
Common switch for int�l calls to be launched today
The common switch for all incoming and outgoing international calls will be launched commercially today with a view to prevent illegal Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
On Monday, Bangladesh Telecommuni-cation Regulatory Commission (BTRC) issued a directive to mobile phone operators, public switched telephone network (PSTN) operators, international internet gateway (IIG) and interconnection exchange (ICX) operators to distribute all international calls through the International Gateway Operator Switch (IoS).
Seven international gateway (IGW) operators will operate the new systemInternational Gateway Operator Switch (IoS)--to check illegal international calls.
We have been trying to stop illegal VoIP for a long time through various measures and allowing the operation of the IGW Operators Forum (IoF) is one of them, Md Faizur Rahman Chowdhury, secretary of Posts and Telecommunications Division of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, told The Independent yesterday. We hope that IoF will be able to stop the illegal VoIP calls effectively, he added.
International Gateway Operator Switch (IoS) has been set up at Gulshan and IGW Operators Forum (IoF) office will be located there, said a BTRC official expecting that the commission would be able to get access in the switch within a week.
According to BTRC operational directives, it is mandatory to distribute all international calls through the IoS.
The liability for the bank guarantee will also fall on the seven IGW operators under the IoS, which was earlier borne separately by all the operators.
The list of operators include IGW, ICX and the end operator taking the call to the customer the ANS. The BTRC had issued licenses for IGW, ICX and IIG businesses in the private sector for the first time in 2007. In 2012, the BTRC issued IGW licenses to another 25 firms, which created strong competition among these companies.
According to the BTRC, the IGW Operators Forum was formed on September 28, 2014, as an initiative to create a balanced, business-friendly environment in the face of unfair competition. Seven IGW operators selected by the BTRC will run the IoS. The operators are: Mir Telecom, Bangla Track, Novotel, Digicon, Global Voice, Unique Infoway and Roots Telecommunications.
Imran Karim, member of IoS, said the IoF has been created primarily to curb illegal VoIP business, bring a balance to the IGW business and ensure sustainable business opportunities.
The seven members of the International Gateway Operator Switch (IoS) will provide bank guarantees, thereby ensuring revenues for the ICX operators and the BTRC. However, they will not provide any bank guarantee to the mobile phone operators.
A representative of an IoF member told The Independent, The mobile phone operators already have the legal right to block any IGW operator over dues. Therefore, we do not see any reason to provide them with any bank guarantee. While the IoF issue was discussed in detail at the end of last year, it took quite some time to be implemented. The BTRC gave directives to implement the IoF only after receiving green signals from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is in charge of the Ministry of Telecommunications.
Earlier, on September 18 last year, the BTRC had reduced the international incoming call rate to 1.5 cents from 3 cents on an experimental basis for six months. This caused an increase in the number of international incoming calls.
