Mobile users complain of high call rates, poor network

Mobile phone users at a public hearing yesterday raised concerns about high call rates, weak network coverage, data expiry and carry-forward facilities, SMS delays and mobile network disruptions during power outages.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) held the hearing, titled “Telecommunication Services and Regulatory Agency Activities”, at its headquarters at Agargaon in the capital. A total of 2,990 customers registered online to participate in the hearing. They included 1,047 professionals, 638 students and 172 women.

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At the hearing, Rakib Raihan, a customer from Jamalpur, asked whether mobile operators would reduce call rates and whether state-owned operator Teletalk would expand its network in rural areas.

The BTRC said the current tariff for voice calls, set by the commission, ranges from Tk 0.45 to Tk 2. It said the process is underway to reduce the floor price of voice calls.

On Teletalk’s network expansion, Brig Gen Shafiul Azam Parvez, director general of the BTRC’s Engineering and Operations Department, said the state-owned operator is fulfilling its nationwide network rollout obligations through various projects.

From Gazipur, Towhid Hasan complained that customers receive many SMS messages without sender identification, making it difficult to tell whether a message is spam or genuine. He also said foreign OTP messages are sometimes delayed.

The BTRC said work was underway to gradually ensure that all SMS messages clearly identify their senders. It said delays in receiving foreign OTP messages could be caused by technical problems.

Another customer, Fuad Hasan Khan, asked about data carry-forward and radiation from mobile towers.

On radiation, the BTRC’s Engineering and Operations Department said it regularly measures electromagnetic field radiation from mobile towers in different parts of the country. The measurements showed that radiation levels are well below prescribed international and national safety standards.

Therefore, it said, the existing level of radiation is not harmful to the environment or public health.

On data carry-forward, the BTRC’s Systems and Services Department said data packages are not similar to ordinary consumable goods or services covered by warranties or guarantees.

It said data carry-forward is essentially a subscription-based service, with prices depending on the services included in a package. If a customer renews the same data package within the specified period, unused data from the previous package is carried forward to the next validity period.

The BTRC also said operators send customers reminders or notifications before their data validity expires.

Another customer, Anwar Sadat, complained that mobile operators sell separate bandwidth for different platforms. He also said mobile networks often do not remain operational during power outages.

The BTRC said operators offer internet access and access to various OTT platforms through different data packages to meet varying customer needs. To ensure transparency, the commission has already instructed operators to clearly state the facilities, conditions and limitations included in each package.

Regarding network disruptions during power outages, the BTRC said it has developed a platform to monitor the condition of mobile networks across the country.

The platform can identify which mobile towers are operational or not, as well as the location and time of any disruption. The BTRC said it uses the platform to monitor network conditions and issue instructions to mobile operators to keep services running.

The commission said customers can lodge complaints through its call centre on 100, the Grievance Redress System (GRS) and the BTRC’s web box.

Anyone can also submit questions or complaints in writing under the Right to Information Act.

From July 2025 to June 2026, the BTRC received 13,009 complaints. Of these, 11,279 complaints, or 86 percent, were resolved during the period.

The commission said it is not fully satisfied with the current rate of complaint resolution and is working to resolve 100 percent of customer complaints quickly and effectively.

The BTRC said it has issued guidelines on quality of service and its methodology. Besides, the commission has developed a benchmark in line with international telecommunications guidelines. It would publish monthly quality of service data on its website soon.

The hearing was chaired by Mahmud Hossain, commissioner of the BTRC’s Spectrum Division, while Brig Gen Shahzad Pervez Mohiuddin, director general of the Systems and Services Department, moderated the session.

Brig Gen Mohiuddin said customers have raised 1,756 questions, opinions and complaints at the 2025 public hearing on service quality, high prices, weak network coverage, transparency and SIM management, among other issues. The highest number of complaints concerned tariffs, data validity, data carry-forward, network coverage, SIM registration, the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR), licensing and service quality.