Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink fined Tk 15 lakh

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has fined three major mobile operators Grameenphone, Robi and Banglalink a total of Tk 15 lakh for sending excessive promotional SMS.

Each operator has been fined Tk 5 lakh.

Operators were instructed not to send more than three promotional SMS per day. The strict action has been taken against them for ignoring this instruction.

According to BTRC data, many customers have complained about excessive promotional SMS. According to them, these SMS are annoying and stressful.

Based on these complaints, the operators were warned but failed to follow the rules.

Grameenphone was alerted in this regard last year. After that Banglalink and Robi were also warned. But the operators did not take any action on this issue.

As a result, BTRC was forced to impose the penalty.

A BTRC official said, "Operators are not following our instructions. We are taking strict action against them to ensure the safety of customers. Due to excessive promotional SMS, customers are suffering a lot and it is affecting their mental health negatively."

Complaints of customers and claims of operators

According to operators, promotional SMS is important to inform customers about various offers and services. These SMS are sent because customers want to know about new services and offers.

However, the response of customers is different. They said these SMSs are often unnecessary and cause annoyance as they keep coming one after the other. The use of the phone is also interrupted at the time of emergency.

‘Do not disturb’ service
BTRC has suggested introducing 'Do Not Disturb' (DND) service for customers to get rid of excessive promotional SMS. Those who want to stop such SMS can activate this service by dialing *121*1101# for Grameenphone, *121*8*6# for Banglalink, and *7# for Robi and Airtel.

BTRC said that stricter action will be taken in future if the limit of promotional SMS is not followed. There are also plans to enact a new law in this regard.

The regulator also said regular monitoring will be conducted to ensure consumer protection and bring order to the telecom sector.

Many countries around the world have strict policies regarding promotional SMS.

Most European countries prohibit sending promotional messages without the customer's consent. BTRC is also taking such regulatory measures in Bangladesh, which is considered an important step for the telecommunication sector by stakeholders.

The move by BTRC is seen as a major initiative to protect the rights of consumers in the telecom sector, according to mobile phone users.