Govt owes Tk 7,822cr to five mobile operators

Staff Reporter :
Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Mustafa Jabbar said that the government owes Tk 7,822.03 crore to the five mobile operators in the country.

The minister said this while replying to a written question from lawmaker Md Shahiduzzaman Sarkar at the Jatiya Sangshad on Monday.

Speaker Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury chaired the session.

Mustafa Jabbar said that four mobile companies are currently operating in the country as one company Citicell has shutdown its operation.

The mobile operator companies have paid a total of Tk 3178.91 crore as revenue to the government exchequer in the financial year 2022-23, the minister said.

Apart from it, after reviewing the relevant documents stored in the Finance, Accounts and Revenue Department of BTRC, it was found that government owes Tk 7,692.67 crore to the mobile operators in the country, he added.

Of the outstanding, Grameenphone has the highest outstanding amount of Tk 6,101. 81crore , Banglalink Tk 880.15crore , Rabi Axiata Tk 539.76 crore and Citycell Tk 170.95 crore.

In addition, Teletalk owes Tk 127.36 crore, Mustafa Jabbar told the Parliament.

The Department of Posts and Telecommunications has requested the Ministry of Finance for taking necessary measures for conversion of Tk 1,585.93 crore into equity for Teletalk’s 3G spectrum assignment fee.

But no instructions have been received from the Ministry of Finance in this regard.

The Minister said that collecting of Tk 30.20 crore asr spectrum charge, Tk 43.81 crore as revenue share and Tk 47.35 crore for SOF million 35 million for SOF are under process.