Bangladesh’s telecom regulator has cancelled the enlistment certificates of 22 companies authorised to provide application-to-person (A2P) SMS aggregation services, citing licence non-renewal and regulatory violations.
In an official notice, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) stated that the affected firms either declined to renew their enlistment, failed to apply within the specified timeframe, or were found to have ownership links with entities holding other telecom licences — a breach of existing guidelines for domestic A2P service providers.
A2P SMS aggregators function as intermediaries between businesses, government agencies and mobile network operators. They facilitate bulk messaging services such as one-time passwords (OTPs), banking alerts, promotional messages, delivery updates, public service announcements and other automated communications sent from applications to mobile users.
The regulator warned that any operations carried out under the cancelled certificates would be deemed illegal and subject to penalties under the Bangladesh Telecommunication Act, 2001.
The companies have been directed to surrender their original enlistment certificates and clear any outstanding dues within 30 days. They will also remain responsible for any further financial liabilities that may arise from future audits, according to the notice.
