BTRC to intensify on-going drive against illegal VoIP

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The Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) will intensify its on-going drive against illegal voice over internet protocol (VoIP) call termination, reports BSS.
The newly appointed BTRC chairman, Brig Gen (retd) Zia Ahmed at a recent meeting of the Telecom Infrastructure Operators of Bangladesh (TIOB) said BTRC would make all-out efforts to stop illegal VoIP, a press release said here Monday.
He said the Commission would also take appropriate steps for smooth functioning of the private sector telecom enterprises operating under the policy of International Long Distance Telecommunications System (ILDTS).
"Let all of us work together to help build a digital Bangladesh, as visualised by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," he urged the TIOB members.
In the meeting, TIOB vice-president, Brig Gen (retd) Mustafizur Rahman gave presentation on various functional aspects of International Gateway (IGW), Inter-connection Exchange (ICX) and International Internet Gateway (IIG).
Members of TIOB, senior BTRC officials and representatives of Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL), private sector IGW, ICX & IIG operators and submarine cable operators attended the function.
The meeting was informed that the private sector telecom enterprises invested nearly Tk 4.0 billion (400 crore) and generated employment opportunities for more than 1,000 qualified professionals. On the other hand, BTCL and Submarine Cable Operators have strength of about 15,000 employees.
The TIOB entities have already contributed Tk 1.30 billion (130 crore) to the public exchequer on account of licence acquisition and renewal fees, officials said.
The total annual revenue earning of the government from the private sector telecom enterprises under ILDTS policy is likely to be Tk 25 billion (2,500 crore). The percentage of revenue sharing of IGWs with BTRC is @ 51.75 per cent while the ICXs is 65.75 per cent.