Toll-free short code 999 to go live next week

The ICT division has started testing the toll-free national help desk number of '999', which is expected to be inaugurated next week during Digital World 2016.

On Sunday, the authorities demonstrated its call routing process, which is aligned with all the mobile phone operators. Currently, the call centre is receiving hundreds of calls a day, said a senior official of the division.

The services will be provided under the national help desk, which is being set up at a cost of Tk 60.50 crore under a programme of the ICT division.

Initially, the help desk will provide emergency police, fire and ambulance services. But once it is relocated to the Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park, its activities will be scaled up, said officials related with the issue.

ICT-related non-governmental organisation DNet is operating the help desk and has already appointed two internet protocol telephony service providers (IPTSP) -- Agni Systems and Amber IT -- to handle the call volumes.

Both the IPTSP operators have the capacity to handle 120 calls at a time, said Suman Kumar Shaha, a senior executive of Amber IT. However, the mobile phone operators raised questions about the costs and some other issues related to the running of the help desk and have subsequently sent a letter to the telecom regulator recently.

In its letter, the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh said there will be a tendency among many subscribers to misuse or irrationally overuse the numbers as it would cost them nothing.

Toll-free calls will create extra load on network capacity and thus ultimately hamper the overall quality of service, which will result in customer dissatisfaction, reads the letter signed by TIM Nurul Kabir, general secretary of AMTOB.

AMTOB said non-emergency services should not be treated as toll-free; rather, a reasonable tariff should be fixed based on commercial negotiation within the regulatory approved tariff circuit.

At present, dialling 100 would connect to Bangladesh Police, 101 to Rapid Action Battalion, 102 to fire services, 103 to ambulance service and 104 to the Access to Information Programme under the Prime Minister's Office.