Bangladesh gets tough on illegal VoIP

The chief telecom regulation authority in Bangladesh will cancel the license of any Internet service provider (ISP) found running an illegal VoIP business in the country.

A "zero tolerance policy" is in effect. After raids last week, the authorities shut down one ISP and seized equipment used for the illegal activities

In February the Bangladesh Telecommunication and Regulatory Commission (BTRC) issued three international gateway (IGW) licenses to companies for the purpose of routing international incoming and outgoing calls through VoIP. However, the three IGW operators can't handle the VoIP call volume being generated within and routed to the country, resulting in a booming grey market. About 25 percent of IGW calls are being routed successfully, said one source.

About 11 million minutes of calls go to and from Bangladesh every day, with 90 percent made by expatriates living around the world and calling home. With over 200 authorized ISPs in the country, a little illegal VoIP on the side is quite tempting, especially since they can charge 2.5 cents per minute - undercutting 4 cent rates charged by IGW licensees.

Bangladesh regulators have had a long-running battle to control VoIP within the country. Phone minutes are a good source of revenue for the government.

For more:
- The Daily Star reports [1] on the coming illegal VoIP crackdown in Bangladesh