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The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) will hold its second public hearing on telecommunication services in Dhaka next May.
The regulator is preparing for the hearing, which was instructed by the State Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, to note down the industry complaints.
Registration for the hearing is open online. Interested individuals and groups, including government bodies, NGOs, autonomous organisations, telecom service providers, mobile phone users, consumer associations and others, can register their names, complaints and concerns.
The hearing will provide a platform for participants to voice their concerns about mobile phone operators, including call drops, variations in voice call packages and pricing.
The BTRC's first public hearing was held on November 22, 2016. Some 1,050 people registered online, with 32 ultimately participating.
The most recent hearing took place in Chittagong in 2022, with 848 online registrations and 182 participants in person and 94 online.
Mobile operators, other telecom service providers and BTRC licensees will be present at the hearing, according to BTRC sources.
In addition to public hearings, the BTRC receives complaints throughout the year via online channels, text messages and letters.
In 2023, some 11,334 customer complaints were registered against operators. The regulator's data shows that Grameenphone received the highest number of complaints, followed by the state-owned Teletalk. Robi, Airtel and Banglalink followed in terms of complaints received.
Analysis of the data shows service quality, internet speed and data volume were the primary areas of concern for customers.
Grameenphone received 3,170 complaints, Teletalk received 2,149, Robi received 2,035, Airtel received 1,812 and Banglalink received 1,291. Besides, 877 complaints were lodged against Skitto and other operators. These complaints covered a wide range of issues, including service quality, internet speed and data volume, call drops, fraudulent activities, call and SMS services, mobile number portability (MNP), package changes, quizzes and prizes and recharge or billing.