BTRC loses legal battle against GP

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After losing legal battle against Grameenphone over 2G spectrum fees, the BTRC says the licence of Grameenphone will be renewed if it pays Tk 2.40 billion, reports bdnews24.com.
"Grameenphone's licence will be renewed once it pays Tk 2.3973 billion after getting the copy of the High Court verdict," BTRC chairman Zia Ahmed told reporters at his office on Monday.
The HC bench of justices Farid Ahmed and Sheikh Hasan Arif rejected claim for an extra Tk 2.36 billion in spectrum fees levied in 2008.
It said the BTRC, was, however right in asking for the spectrum fees, excluding tax at source, and licence renewal fees.
The court, at the same time, observed that the mobile operator would legally get waiver on such taxes.
Barrister Rafiqe Ul Haque, Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and Barrister Mohammad Mehedi Hasan Chowdhury argued for the GP while attorney general Mahbubey Alam, Ajmalul Hossain QC and Barrister Khandaker Reza-E Rakib stood for the BTRC.
The BTRC in a letter on October 17 asked the leading telecom operator to pay Tk 3.84 billion as spectrum fee for 2008 along with its Second Generation licence renewal fee. But the GP challenged the regulator in the High Court on Oct 23 claiming that the BTRC demanded an additional amount of Tk 2.37 billion.
On October 26, the High Court stayed the effectiveness of a BTRC notice asking Grameenphone to pay additional Tk 2.37 billion for the radio frequency in 1800 megahertz band.
The High Court on Monday also declared illegal part of a letter issued by the BTRC asking the GP authority to provide the additional fees of Tk 2.37 billion.
The telecom regulator went public with the final policy on the licence renewal on September 11. Due to the legal dispute between the BTRC and the telecom operators over the payment of VAT and the spectrum fees, the licence renewal of Grameenphone and Banglalink remained pending.
BTRC on September 11 said that it would hand over licences to the operators after the court judgement.
GP, Banglalink, Robi and Citicell have already submitted renewal fees and spectrum fees for the renewal of their licences.