Mobile operators for talks on call-drop compensation

The country’s mobile phone operators have urged the telecom regulator to hold consultations with them and review the directive of compensating subscribers for any call-drop.
The Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh, the platform of all the cellular phone operators in the country, in a letter to the regulator on Thursday requested it to sit with the operators to consult about facts and figures regarding the call-drops.
The AMTOB initiated the move against the backdrop of issuance of a recent directive by the regulator — Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission — that made compensation for any call-drop mandatory.
Talking to the news agency, TIM Nurul Kabir, secretary general of the AMTOB, said they requested the regulator to sit with them because the directive had no way forward for implementation.
‘There are ITU standard and the BTRC guideline regarding services especially call-drop and the operators are complying with it. So, the regulator should consult with us (operators) about facts and figures to find out ways to implement the directive,’ said Kabir.
He noted that criteria was needed to be defined that who would be entitled for compensation, as the operators had been maintaining ITU standard and BTRC guidelines regarding call-drops.
The BTRC directives said over the last few months, the cellular phone users in the country had been experiencing difficulties such as losing connections or mute call while talking because of poor quality network.
So, all the mobile phone companies are ordered to take necessary steps to provide a call-minute back as compensation in case of a call-drop as per a recent decision, said the letter.
BTRC officials said the commission issued the directive following a decision from the Posts and Telecommunications Division.
However, the Division was inspired to make the decision following widespread allegations of call-drops and poor data services provided by the operators.
Immediately after issuance of the directive, state minister for posts and telecommunications Tarana Halim said, ‘From now, the cellular phone users would get a call-minute back as compensation for every call-drop.’
Tarana, now in Malaysia on an official visit, also wrote on her Facebook page: ‘Customers’ satisfaction is the ultimate goal of posts and telecommunications division, that’s why, I had sat with the CEOs of
operators and set a timeframe for them (operators) to upgrade network and service quality.’
‘Besides, the BTRC has also been directed to take an effective decision on call-drop issue, and the call-minute back is the outcome of these activities,’ read the Facebook status.
Earlier, the operators had introduced compensation for call-drop by giving subscribers one-minute-free-call but they recently stopped it without any announcement.
According to the BTRC guidelines, the operators have to ensure call success rate at 95-97 per cent with a maximum call drop rate at 2-3 per cent.

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