4 mobile operators owe Tk13,144cr in revenue dues

The country’s four mobile operators owe a total of Tk 13,144 crore in outstanding revenue, Post and Telecommunications Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam informed the parliament on Wednesday.

The state-owned operator Teletalk Bangladesh Ltd owes Tk5,954 crore on account of licence fees, revenue sharing, spectrum fees, late fees/penalties, and social obligation funds.

The operator has applied for an equity conversion of Tk5,554 crore, which is now under consideration, the minister said responding to a starred question from Cox’s Bazar-3 MP Lutfur Rahman.

Likewise, the current outstanding dues for Grameenphone Limited stand at Tk6,102 crore. However, the total claim was Tk8,494.01 crore.

In compliance with court directives, Grameenphone paid Tk2,000 crore in 12 equal instalments and later paid another Tk392.19 crore following a VAT-related court judgment (totalling Tk2,392.19 crore). A case is now pending in the High Court.

Correspondingly, Robi’s total dues are stated as Tk490 crore and Tk125 crore under separate heads. However, the initial claim of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) was Tk867 crore.

Following court directives, Robi paid Tk138 crore in five equal instalments and later paid Tk50 crore after a VAT-related verdict (totalling Tk188 crore). Another Tk125 crore is outstanding as VAT on paid revenue sharing, which is currently under litigation.

Banglalink’s dues stand at Tk430 crore and Tk43 crore under separate heads. However, the BTRC’s claim was Tk811 crore.

Banglalink paid Tk166 crore and another Tk215 crore following a VAT case verdict (totalling Tk381 crore). Tk43 crore is pending as VAT on paid revenue sharing, and the BTRC is in the process of filing a lawsuit regarding this.

The minister also said the recovery process has been prolonged because several of the claims against mobile operators are currently under judicial consideration.

In particular, disputes involving audit objections and revenue-sharing arrangements have delayed the settlement process, leaving a significant amount of government revenue tied up in litigation, he added.