Bangladesh shuts three telecoms operators

The authorities in Bangladesh have shut down three private telecommunications operators in the country on suspicion of running illegal telephony over the internet, a spokesman for the telephone regulatory body said Friday. The Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission shut the offices of Ranks Telecom Limited (RanksTel), after becoming convinced that the operator runs illegal business using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
"We have shut down all activities of RanksTel since Friday morning after we found huge quantity of VoIP equipment at the company's office," BTRC Chairman Zia Ahmed said. Earlier in the week law enforcers unearthed evidence of illegal VoIP operations at the offices of WorldTel Bangladesh Limited. That phone operator was also shut down.