Jumbangla Desk: 9 years as time. The calculation of money is 8 thousand crores. The entire money has been pocketed through a syndicate organized by the name of International Gateway Operators Forum (IOF). All organizations in the forum are privately owned. And that money was used to loot the state-owned organization Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). The syndicate was led by former Prime Minister and Awami League Chairperson Sheikh Hasina's private industry and investment advisor Salman F Rahman.

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The matter was an open secret in the telecommunication sector. But no one spoke loudly about it. Some businessmen tried to protest. But they were stopped by threats and intimidation. With the same license, some people drive BMWs, while others travel the streets of Dhaka by rickshaws and local buses. When a call comes from abroad or calls from the country to abroad, it does not come directly to the handset. The ringtone sounds a few steps across. These steps are gateways.

Calls from abroad go first to the International Gateway or IGW operator. Next goes Interconnection Exchange or ICX. This exchange operator sends the designated mobile or landline to the subscriber. Even though it was said to be a trial period of three to six months, this syndicate trade is still going on.

Strategies that leverage IGW business:

Those concerned said that some leaders of the government party under the leadership of Beximco Group Vice Chairman Salman F. Rahman, adviser on private industry and investment of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, prepared this plan in 2015. Their relatives are also in the ownership of those institutions. Under a lot of pressure, BTRC had to agree to this organization called International Gateway Operators Forum (IOF). This tableau was completed under the leadership of Salman F Rahman as well as his son Shayan Rahman. B

Shayan has been chairing almost all the meetings of the IGW Forum at the TRC. In 2015, there were a total of 29 international gateway operators in the country, but seven IGWs were authorized to handle international calls out of their organization 'IOF'. The companies are Unique Infoway, Digicon Telecommunications, Roots Communications, Global Voice, Bangla Track and Novo Telecom.

As of the time the new process was introduced (2015), mobile operators lost Tk 19.3 million, ICXs Tk 16 crore, BTRC around Tk 47 crore in revenue. On the other hand, the profit of IGWs increased from Tk 70 crore to Tk 140 crore. These seven controlling institutions get the most profit.

Business people said that on September 28, 2014, BTRC approved the proposal to create an organization called International Gateway Operators Forum (IOF) and sent it to the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology for approval. They had to do this under a lot of pressure. The director of engineering and operations department of BTRC at that time. In the letter signed by Mezbahazzaman, instructions were given in this regard. The letter was issued on 24 March 2015.

Regarding the IGW Syndicate, Shahed Alam, Company Secretary and Chief Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Officer of mobile operator Robi, told Bangladesh Pratidin that many people call the IGW Forum a platform. But for us it is a layer. Because here 2 switches are different. By whatever name you call it, IGWs have switches but iOS ones have switches. The business model they have built is unmatched anywhere else in the world. According to their rules, no matter what rate the international call comes, they will not share that rate with anyone. According to the agreement they have with BTRC, they will share with the operator and the government. This disparity in revenue sharing has been effective since day one. We can show on paper that the operator and the government have been deprived of about 8 thousand crore rupees.

He also said that this business model was first tried by Pakistan. But the High Court overruled it. Because the issue of opacity is clear. Regarding the role of BTRC in this regard, Shahed Alam said, when BTRC gave it experimentally, an approval of the ministry was taken. Now that the ministry is not saying anything about it, BTRC is also not saying anything. But BTRC can cancel it if it wants. Because it is totally out of policy.

In this context, the President of Bangladesh Mobile Phone Consumer Association Mohiuddin Ahmed said that the government's formula of looting thousands of crores of rupees by creating an illegal layer under the guise of an experimental platform must be judged. The daily looting of billions of rupees from international call termination revenue in the name of IOF is highly reprehensible even after the change of government on August 5.

He also said that we do not understand why BTRC is still continuing this practice. I personally think there is no need for IOF in Bangladesh context. To stop money laundering and political benefits, this level must be removed quickly. It has long been a rumor in the telecom sector that the former Minister of State for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim's ministry was gone because it did not agree to give unethical benefits to the IOF. There should be an investigation into this matter as well.
Kazi Sohag