Mobile phone operators to face music for flouting law

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FE Report
The mobile phone operators of the country will be fined $10 for selling each of the SIM cards without complying with the government instructions from July 22.
"We took the decision after a meeting with the representatives of the six mobile phone companies, to fine operators instead of distributors, against violation of government instructions," Maj Gen Manzurul Alam, chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), said the FE Friday.
He further said the date for penalising has been fixed from July 22 in order to giving sufficient time to the mobile operators to have communications with their distributors.
The BTRC has also asked the operators to collect documents against the SIM cards sold since 1998 in phases, he said.
He, however, called upon mobile users to extend all possible cooperation to the operators as it was for betterment of all.
"Our surveillance teams scattered throughout the country will closely monitor whether there is any violation of government instruction or not from July 22 and onwards," BTRC chairman said.
The government last year instructed the mobile operators to collect documents like passport copy or photo attached ID card and passport size photographs from customers while selling SIM cards.
Besides, there was an instruction to fill up a BTRC approved forms by the customers for submission to the operators after attestation by upazila or union parishad chairmen or ward commissioners or class one government officers.
The decision to impose fines has been taken as the operators so long neglected the guideline, sources said.
The number of criminal activities in the country using mobile phone have increased sharply. Against such circumstances, it is very important to keep in record the information of mobile phone users in the event of any criminal incident, they said.