Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) - Bangladesh is yet to finalize a decision to fix 10-second-pulse limitation for all mobile operators to protect the subscribers' interest, as the telecom regulator is working to complete some procedural formalities, officials said.
"The Commissioners' Body, the highest decision-making authority of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), will take the final decision in this regard," Director General (Legal and Licensing Division) of the BTRC A K M Shahiduzzaman was quoted by the Financial Express (FE), a local newspaper, as saying.
He informed that the commission will sit with the mobile operators soon to discuss the matter.
Another BTRC official said they asked the operators to submit their data on call drop and some other services, and then they will evaluate the situation.
Subscribers of all mobile operators have been facing call drops on a regular basis for quite a long time. When a call drops after a full minute and some seconds, the operators take full minute charge for the last minute.
Telecom experts said call drops take place mainly due to frequent disruptions in mobile network. Besides, staying in high-rise buildings and moving in high-speed vehicles also cause call cuts.
The BTRC official said as the mobile phone operators cannot always provide quality services to their customers, the regulator is going to impose the new directive. He said the move would help ease their frustration to some extent.
In 2010, the BTRC gave directive to all the mobile operators to make available a toll-free common customer complaint number from March this year.
The operators implemented the common '121' as customer care number, but did not agree to make it toll-free, rather they made the charge for calling to the number nominal.
BBN/SSR/AD-25July11-10:14 am (BST)