BTRC to hold public hearing on telecom complaints in November

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is set to hold a public hearing in November to gather citizens’ complaints and opinions on telecom services.

Top officials of the regulatory authority have confirmed the decision. Citizens can participate in person or join online to submit questions and complaints directly.

According to BTRC, these hearings provide a platform for direct dialogue between customers and service providers, helping generate meaningful recommendations to improve service quality.

Since 2016, BTRC has conducted five public hearings. The first, on 22 November 2016 at the BTRC Auditorium in Dhaka, received 1,050 complaints regarding call drops, slow internet, and biometric registration issues. The second hearing, held on 12 June 2019 at the IEB building, saw over a hundred complaints, mainly about call drops and internet service quality.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, an online hearing on 22 August 2021 recorded 23,016 complaints, with over a hundred citizens joining via Facebook Live. Network coverage, internet speed, and data charges were key topics.

On 8 December 2022, a hearing at Radisson Blu Chittagong Hotel received 848 complaints, focusing on call drops, 4G coverage, and radiation concerns. The most recent hearing, on 8 May 2024 at BTRC Dhaka, highlighted 3,025 complaints on call drops, internet speed, operator services, and emergency recharge issues.

BTRC has stated that in the upcoming November hearing, citizens’ questions will be selected and addressed based on their significance.

Past hearings reveal recurring issues such as poor network coverage, call drops, lack of connectivity on highways and trains, problems with mobile number portability (MNP), area-specific broadband limitations, rising internet costs, additional call charges, slow internet, and unauthorized deductions from mobile accounts.