BTTB missing millions as illegal call terminators eating up $100m a year

Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) - the state telecommunication agency - is losing in potential revenue worth millions of dollars each month to illegal operators handling millions of minutes of incoming and outgoing international calls.

Sources in the telecommunication industry told UNB that these "illegal call terminators", as they are called, are depriving the government exchequer revenues to the tune of more than US$ 100 million (nearly Tk. 650 crore) per year.

"These illegal operators are operating openly under the protection of the vested quarters of the BTTB," one of the sources claimed.

Explaining, they pointed out that about six million Bangladeshis living and working overseas call home to their near and dear ones, each of them talking for an average duration of 25 minutes per month.

And according to an estimate, this type of social calls creates a monthly value of 150 million minutes of incoming calls into Bangladesh every month. On top of that, another 15-20 million minutes of business calls are also received each moth as incoming calls.

Thus the incoming calls, it is estimated, exceed about 170 million minutes per month and the figure is likely to continue to grow at a rate of 10 per cent to 15 per cent per year.

Although BTTB has the capability to handle all the incoming calls from abroad, which it should do being the sole provider of this service, the state telecom agency is currently receiving only about 60-65 million minutes per month; and interestingly, the figure is continuing to go down costing huge revenue losses.

The sources, requesting anonymity, pointed out that all the international calls that come into Bangladesh do not come through BTTB, as nearly two-thirds of those are handled by the illegal operators.

Typically, these illegal call terminators use VSAT stations connected to overseas "hubbing companies" based in USA, Singapore, etc and transfer the calls originating overseas to the local receivers using the BTTB or mobile numbers, depending on receiving parties' location and type of phones.

Informed sources estimated that over 100 such illegal operators were allegedly using more than 10,000 phone lines from different BTTB exchanges across the country to terminate such calls.

The industry sources believe that this kind of illegal activity could only be possible with assistance, cooperation and active participation of a section of corrupt and unscrupulous officials and staff of BTTB.

A powerful vested quarter of the government is also believed to be involved in such illegal operation for which the authorities are 'unwilling' or 'unable' to take measures to stop stealing of the country's foreign exchange by those illegal call terminators, the sources said.

While naming a few of such illegal operators, the sources listed Easy Talk by VocalNet, World Call by Saiwon, Phone2Phone by Imart, Sky-Max by Stargate Technology, Tele Talk by Tele Talk, OHM ISD Calling by OHM, Either Call by Either Call, World Access by Imart, Digital by Digital.

The sources said that just like illegal call termination activities, illegal call origination business has also flourished in Bangladesh, which has also contributed to the revenue decline of BTTB.

It was learnt that two types of illegal call originators are operating in Bangladesh - companies who offer phone-to-phone services and those who offer PC-to-phone services.

Besides, the government is allowing local companies, providing phone-to-phone calling card services, to operate without any fear as these companies are openly advertising their services in local newspapers, magazines and shops.

Sources believe that the government, specially Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) - the country's telecom regulatory watchdog - should take immediate measures to shut down these 'grey operators' to stop the huge revenue losses incurred by BTTB.

Despite repeated efforts, the BTTB Chairman could not be reached by telephone, neither by having an appointment for interview, for his comments on these 'grey operators' who have been causing such huge loss to the state-owned telecommunication enterprise.

--UNB