Protect the mobile telephone industry

This is a budding and nursing period for this new ICT industry in this fast developing country (with the highest of population ratio in the world). Perhaps the Finance Minister could have been incorrectly advised from the technical professional aspects, to tap this lucrative sector for quick milking of easy government revenue, thereby retarding the nursing period of rapid growth of cellular/mobile/wireless telephone system, for at least the next five years. The systems loosed in the revenue collection are tardy (corrupt practices), but why punish the mobile users?

Even the middle and lower classes of households were keen to acquire such wireless telephones, boosting fast communication in the rural areas, where 80 per cent of the population lives, or have bases. It was unimaginable a couple of years ago that (non-earning) students would be carrying mobile sets. The GrameenPhone (GP) experiment of hawking mobile telephone calls by women peddlers in the villages drew global attention. It is still being treated as a luxury item?

The percentage of revenue collection from mobile telephones is microscopic (percentage-wise) but substantial. Initially a holiday period should have been allowed for the base or foundation to be established, before tapping (in the near future) the branches and other technical services of this network for additional regular revenue. Telephoning is no longer a luxury. In contrast, the poor fixed-line telephone service by BTTB has to be taken into consideration.

It is suggested that the Prime Minister might be pleased to call, as a public service, for a special review of the situation, and bring some cheer to lakhs of new mobile phone users. It is good for rural business, and plays a silent and indirect background role in poverty alleviation.