Teletalk still the VoIP culprit
Total control over illegal VOIP not possible, says BTRC chairman
State-owned mobile operator Teletalk is allegedly continuing illegal voice over internet protocol (VoIP) business, causing a huge loss of revenue for the government. The latest data obtained from SIGOS system shows that 99 per cent of illegal VoIP calls are channeled through Teletalk SIMs (subscriber identity module), even after the completion of the biometric SIM registration that promised to control mobile-related crimes including illegal VoIP business.
At a press briefing yesterday, Telecom Secretary Faizur Rahman Chowdhury, also chairman of Teletalk, could not provide any clear answer in this regard to the media. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) held the press briefing at its office in the capital on the illegal call termination issue. In reply to a query, the secretary acknowledged that he was aware of the illegal call termination allegations and said, Teletalk will not be spared if found involved in illegal VoIP business. Recent data from SIGOS monitoring system indicates that Teletalk SIMs are the main tool in running the illegal VoIP business in the country. According to the data, on November 24, a total of 526 SIMs of Teletalk were used for illegal VoIP and two SIMs of operator Banglalink. No SIMs of Grameenphone or Robi were used on that day for any illegal VoIP. On November 23, 308 SIMs of Teletalk were used for illegal VoIP while no other operators SIM were used. On November 22, 413 SIMs of Teletalk were used for illegal call, while 1 Grameenphone and two Banglalink SIMs were also used.
Talking on the VoIP issue during yesterdays press briefing, BTRC Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood, said that total control over illegal Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is not possible.
We are trying, but it is not possible to completely control illegal VoIP, the BTRC chairman said.
Asked why it is not possible to control illegal VoIP as the BTRC has been speaking of different methods to address the issue, the BTRC chairman said, We are trying our best,
but it is hard to control the thieves. He also said that it is not possible to stop illegal international calls even after the biometric registration of the SIMs. Terming it as pilferage, he said the situation is improving because of the drives conducted by law enforcers.
The commission chairman said an increase in the call charge and the use of the App Over-the-top-content (OTT) are some of the possible causes behind the increase in illegal VoIP and resulting decrease in legal calls.
Shahjahan Mahmood said the commission is currently unable to monitor the amount of calls made through the OTT. He hoped that a policy would be formulated in this regard within three to four months and then they would present their comments on it.
Mentioning the previous record of per day 123 million minutes legal calls following the decrease of international call termination rate in 2014, he said, Now it is some 70-80 millions minutes per day. Several factors are working here besides the OTT. The international call rate is now two cents, up from 1.5 cents. It is also a reason.
The chief of the telecoms regulator also said that information from the BTRC can be officially disclosed only by him or the secretary of the telecom ministry. Dissemination of any information of the commission by any other person cannot be deemed official, he said.
When the telecom secretary was asked by reporters that most illegal calls are made through the state-owned mobile phone operator Teletalk but why it is still not paying fine to the BTRC, the telecom secretary said, All are equal before the law. Its not that Teletalk will not pay the fine. They will do it or the government would adjust it.
The secretary said, A subscriber is more responsible for use of the SIM, than the operator, for illegal VoIP. We are taking measures in this regard. The stance of the government is to show zero tolerance against illegal VoIP. We are doing it.
When such matter is caught, BTRC fines the operator for not canceling the connection within a specific time, he said.
The telecom secretary also mentioned the dates of seven meetings chaired by the State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Tarana Halim and said they are putting efforts on the issue. However, the reports disclosed by the BTRC chairman at the press briefing showed that the number of legal calls has been decreasing despite the meetings by the state minister.
The BTRC chairman rejected the allegation that the Teletalk did not deactivate about two million connections even after several months of the completion of biometric SIM registration. Such unregistered SIMs are not there, he said. He said that Teletalk had informed them in writing after deactivating the unregistered SIMs.
The government will get a huge amount of money not only from Teletalk, but also from other mobile operators. When we go for realisation of these, the operators take up dilly-dallying tactics. But we consider all as equal. We dont see Teletalk as any different. We are trying to realise the dues also from Teletalk, the BTRC chief said. When asked about the rumour of resignation of State Minister Tarana Halim, the secretary rejected it and said, It is based on wrong information. We have protested the news and it has been published as well.
Drawing attention to the news reports on the failure of controlling illegal VoIP despite the issue being on top of the state ministers agenda, the telecom secretary said, We are here to present the stance of the government in this regard. BTRC vice-chairman Ahsan Habib, commissioners and directors, among others, were present at the press conference.
