Political shutdowns becoming regular event

Wed Mar 30, 2005 1:43 am            

The mobile operators have demanded compensation from the government for repeatedly suspending their networks leading to mounting losses. A letter signed by the managing directors of GrameenPhone, CityCell, Aktel and Sheba was sent to the secretary of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications. The government has the ability to suspend the mobile networks, but the legislation also requires the government to compensate the operators for such temporary shutdown.

The government sees mobile phones as a tool for co-ordinated rigging and civil disobedience during parliamentary elections. Accordingly, the ministry ordered the national shutdown of all mobile services for 24-hours commencing from 6:00 a.m. on 1 October 2001. Since then it has been a routine practice to shut down mobile networks during any election. However, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Act 2001 became effective in 30 January 2002 and the regulatory authority was transferred to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

But the ministry has been ordering the regular shitdowns of mobile networks. Apart from the elections and by-elections, the mobile networks were closed for 161 hours on account of city corporation and municipal elections. The ministry also verbally instructed the operators to cease operations in Dhaka for six hours during the first four nights of "Operation Clean Heart." Now the deputy commissioners of various districts are ordering the mobile companies to keep their network down in the Union Parishad electorates during the polls.

Presently the four mobile operators have 1.1 million subscribers nationally whilst the BTTB has 700,000 million subscribers. GrameenPhone tops the list with its nearly 770,000.

Sun Jun 25, 2006 3:58 pm