Free night calls = angry parents

Angry parents have lodged a complaint with the state-run Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission calling for an end to free late-night calls by mobile telephone operators as it was inviting unwelcome romance for their children.

Some parents said the free late-night calls made children indulge "in long chats with friends or romantic partners, which was hampering their studies and changing their lifestyle."

"The free phone call offers do not conform with the country's values and culture and promote romantic relationship between opposite sexes which is usually frowned at by our Muslim-dominated society," a Commission official was quoted as saying by the New Age newspaper.

The Commission has decided to ask the mobile phone operators to discontinue the facility based on parents' complaints, the official said.

However, two top operators -- Grameen Phone and City Cell -- told the daily they were unaware of the decision and it was not fair in a competitive market. Bangladesh has five mobile phone operators.