AMTOB's rejoinder and Views Bangladesh's statement on published news

Views Bangladesh published a special report titled "Interim government tenure: Three mobile operators make Tk4,000 crore hitting customers' pockets!" on March 14, 2026. On March 17, Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) sent a rejoinder over the report. Although the statements sent separately by the three mobile operators concerned have been properly attached to the published report as per the norms of professional journalism, still, as a responsible media outlet and with respect for the principle of freedom of expression, AMTOB's rejoinder is being published here in full. At the same time, the reporter's statement over the issue has also been highlighted.

AMTOB's statement: The rejoinder signed by AMTOB Secretary General Retired Lt. Col. Mohammad Zulfikar said, "The report titled "Interim government tenure: Three mobile operators make Tk4,000 crore hitting customers' pockets!" published on the online portal 'Views Bangladesh' on March 14 has come to our attention. The report presents a misleading and baseless claim through some simple figures that the top three mobile operators (Banglalink, Grameenphone and Robi Axiata) have earned an "additional" of about Tk4,000 crore from their customers after the data packages were opened on January 12, 2025. The information and figures presented in this report regarding the revenue of mobile operators are completely fabricated and baseless in terms of reality. We strongly protest and condemn this report.

The calculation of the additional Tk4,000 crore claimed in the report is not based on any established economic or industry analysis. This figure has been "established" only by using some assumptions and the number of subscribers taken from a GSMA report, which is not consistent with the real revenue picture.

The report has mentioned about two important variables--the exact number of mobile internet users and the actual number of subscribers using the 10 GB package--which is not strong. Again, the 10 GB package is considered standard in calculating the price of the internet, although in Bangladesh, consumers use half or more of this amount of internet per person on average. The reporter knows very well that even if a customer uses the internet for a short period of time, he is considered an active user. This does not mean that this large number of internet users plays an important role in revenue generation. The calculation has been made assuming 40 percent of the total income of each operator, taking the operators' 30-day packages as the basis. Even in simple arithmetic, when the figure reaches crores, a slight change in the variable causes a huge change in the result. That basic truth has been ignored here.

The report uses the term "pocket cutting", which is highly offensive and not newsworthy. The mobile telecom sector is a product and service-based business. Like other products in the market, the price of packages fluctuates, which is completely normal. The package is determined according to the customer's needs and usage pattern, and the customer purchases it according to his own needs and capabilities.
When the mobile operators were asked for their opinions in the report, they stated that "the revenue issue is completely baseless and misleading", but the reporter did not take it into account. The additional income of Tk4,000 crore mentioned is limited only to the reporter's imagination; It does not exist in any of the operators' figures.

We hope that the 'Views Bangladesh' authorities will publish the necessary corrections (Corrigendum) for this incorrect information and misleading analysis in their published reports. In the future, they will refrain from presenting such unverified and misleading news and practice correct and reliable journalism, which is good for both the readers and the industry.

Reporter's statement: AMTOB has made an attempt to provide the Views Bangladesh authorities with knowledge about journalism without specifically highlighting the confusion in the informational aspects of the report published in Views Bangladesh, which is not appropriate. At the same time, the Views Bangladesh authorities have been threatened in covert language at the end of the protest letter, which is unacceptable.

All the information has been presented in the 'Views Bangladesh' report in accordance with the norms of journalism and following the world-accepted methods. The foundation of mathematics is dependent on the concept index. In both arithmetic and algebra, the correct result is determined by starting with the 'concept index' and determining the specific number of complex numbers. Only those with a minimal understanding of mathematics know this. Transparency International or other world-renowned organizations also use the ‘perception index’ mathematical method to provide estimates of the increase or decrease in corruption in different countries every year. A country’s GDP is also determined from the price-based and per capita income comparative perception index. Views Bangladesh, using modern mathematics and the ‘perception’ method established by world-renowned anti-corruption and economic research institutions, has provided reasonable information of an additional income of Tk4,000 crore, which has been widely appreciated by the readers.

No mobile operator in Bangladesh publishes details about the income from the internet. Even if the statistics of the regulatory body BTRC calculates the number of subscribers of an operator, the number of data subscribers of an operator is not specifically informed. Moreover, no operators published details about how many subscribers there were in which month, what type of package, and how many subscribers there were. As a result, the data package business of mobile operators in Bangladesh has always remained mysterious. Therefore, it would have been acceptable and reasonable if AMTOB's protest letter had provided specific information about how many data subscribers the three mobile operators had during the tenure of the interim government and how many subscribers used which type of package.

The word 'pocket cutting' used in the report has been widely used as a recognized and acceptable word in Bengali literature, films, media, and news media. When someone takes advantage of any opportunity to earn extra income from any field by any trick or unskillful means, the word 'pocket cutting' is used in a high-level metaphorical sense. The report in Views Bangladesh has also used it in a metaphorical sense.

Although the statements sent by the three mobile operators are included in the published report, the allegation made in AMTOB's rejoinder that 'the opinions of mobile operators were not taken into account' is untrue and unacceptable.
Since its inception, objectivity and professionalism in publishing news have been the cornerstones of 'Views Bangladesh'. Views Bangladesh will always continue this trend.