DHAKA, Jan 27, 2019 (BSS) – Mobile phone users, who have availed the
mobile number portability (MNP) service, are facing trouble in getting OTP
SMS service from banks, and mobile financial service (MFS) and other service
providers.
The assigned MNP operator, Infozillion Teletech BD Limited, said they are
in persuasion with all the banks, MFS providers like bKash and Rocket, and
other service providers, but they are very reluctant to extend cooperation.
So, at the end of the day, the mobile phone users are being affected.
Infozillion Teletech BD Limited Managing Director Mabroor Hossain alleged
they have approached to all banks, MFS operators and other service providers
for cooperation repeatedly and continued it, but they are yet to get any
response from them.
“Customers are continuously filing complaints to the service centres for
solutions, but we are totally helpless as it’s not in our hand,” he told BSS
today.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has also
informed the issue to the Bangladesh Bank (BB), but the issue is still
unresolved, Mabroor said, adding, “If such non-cooperation continues, the
goal of MNP would be failed”.
One Anwar Hossain said recently he switched to another mobile network
operator (MNO) availing the MNP service, but after the switching he does not
receive any one-time password (OTP) SMS from his bKash wallet as well as his
bank account which makes him confuse regarding any transaction.
Besides, the MNOs is also barring cooperate customers from switching to
another MNO defying BTRC’s directive. The BTRC at a meeting with MNOs today
set February 13 as the last date for allowing the corporate customers for
switching, otherwise BTRC will do it by own.
Robi’s Head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Shahed Alam in a
statement today said: “The biggest impediment to popularising the MNP service
is the incidence of not getting OTP messages. Especially, in case of availing
the Mobile Financial Services, this problem gets magnified”.
“Besides, the corporate customers are also suffering due to the process
complexities in switching to other operators. Considering the speed at which
our highly competitive corporate sector is accustomed to, we have already
urged BTRC to simplify the process to make it very easy for them to avail the
MNP service,” Alam said.
“If this impediment is not removed at the earliest, the MNP service will
struggle to live up to the expectations,” he said.
On October 1, 2018, the much-awaited MNP service was launched, which has
opened up the users’ freedom of choice in switching to any network, retaining
the existing number unchanged. It was not possible earlier for the hassle of
changing number. Meanwhile, the government has withdrawn, on condition, the
value added tax (VAT) and supplementary tax imposed on MNP.