The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has issued a show-cause notice to Grameenphone for “not using the allocated spectrum,” impacting the service quality for over 43 percent of the country’s mobile phone subscribers.

This was disclosed by Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for telecom and ICT, during a media briefing after an event at the ICT Division yesterday.

Palak highlighted that during a meeting on June 30, attended by BTRC officials and mobile operators, a preliminary report from the BTRC’s test drive was presented. The report revealed that operators, including Grameenphone, had not utilized their allocated spectrum.

“We asked the BTRC chairman why they did not do it as promised. In response, he said that in this case, there is scope to fine them. That is why, as per the legal process, we first issued a show-cause notice to Grameenphone,” Palak stated. He mentioned that if Grameenphone provides a satisfactory explanation, they may be excused. Otherwise, they could face fines ranging from Tk 1 crore to Tk 300 crore.

Grameenphone’s head of communication, Sharfuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, acknowledged receipt of the notice and confirmed that the company would respond in due time. Spectrum allocation is essential for enhancing network capacity, reducing congestion, and improving service quality.