The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has revoked the licences of 334 internet and telecommunications service providers for non-compliance with licence renewal regulations. The companies, including internet service providers (ISPs), call centres, and IP telephone companies, failed to apply for renewal at least six months before their licences expired, as required by BTRC rules.
According to a notice signed by MA Taleb Hossain, Director of the Licensing Department at BTRC, no renewal applications were received for these 334 licences or registration certificates following their expiry. As a result, the BTRC decided to cancel the licences in accordance with the Bangladesh Telecommunication Control Act, 2001, and relevant guidelines.
The notice further states that any activities conducted under the revoked licences or registration certificates will be considered illegal and subject to penalties under the Bangladesh Telecommunication Control Act. The authorities have directed the affected companies to return their cancelled licences or registration certificates to BTRC and settle any outstanding dues within 30 days.
The complete list of the affected companies and the full text of the notice have been made available on the BTRC website.
Earlier last month, BTRC Chairman Major General (Retd) Emdad Ul Bari had indicated that the licence cancellations were imminent, stating that the commission had issued more licences than the market requires.
