"The cellphone call charge in India is only 40 paisa a minute, but it is up to Tk 7 in Bangladesh, as private mobile phone operators have a monopoly here," said GM Fazlul Haque, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on telecommunications ministry.

"We want to fix reasonable rates that will apply to all private operators," Haque told The Daily Star after a meeting at the Sangsad Bhaban.

The Jatiya Sangsad body expressed concern at the delay in launching the much-talked-about BTTB (Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board) mobile phone service, believed to cut the monopoly of private operators.

The three-member sub-committee, headed by ruling BNP lawmaker Kazi Golam Morshed, was asked to submit its report soon to pave the way for reducing call charges. The standing committee will forward a recommendation to the government for low call charges after it gets the report from the sub-committee.

"We will sit with Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission and private operators to decide reasonable charges. We will give subscribers' interest priority," Morshed said.

He accused the cellphone service providers of burdening users with high rates, adding: "They (companies) appeal to the government for more facilities but are depriving subscribers of low-cost service."

The standing committee sent a letter to the Public Purchase Committee on February 14 to review the February decision on suspending the BTTB cellphone project.

The committee asked the BTTB to repair inoperative phones in 72 hours after subscribers report to the board.

Yesterday's meeting was told there were about 24 illegal connections in Barisal and the BTTB in its report accused two Agaljhara exchange officials of fraud and told the meeting departmental punishment against them was underway.