Teletalk’s business is in trouble for 15 years as the company made profit only in the first two years. Teletalk earned a total of Tk 4.98 billion in 2021-22, but higher operating costs forced it to post a net loss of Tk 2.25 billion.
The company has incurred the highest ever loss in the last financial year. Its debt liabilities totaled Tk 52.17 billion in September last year, where government dues are Tk 23.28 billion, Tk 19.53 billion to BTRC, and Tk 3.89 billion to Rural Electrification Board (REB).
Teletalk owed not only the government but also some private institutions, such as 1.66 billion taka to a logistics supplier and 1.94 billion taka to banks and other donors.
Teletalk, on the other hand, owes Tk 1.41 billion to various entities.
Khondakar Golam Moazzam, director of research at the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said that after going through the financial crisis, it seems that Teletalk’s ability to survive is in question. The company has government capital, loans, grants and is not in a position to repay due to one loss after another. All these issues create liabilities for the government.
BTRC remains lenient towards Teletalk even as it gets tough on other operators to collect dues and ensure quality of service.
