Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Ltd. (BTCL) has given connection to 50,000 clients across the country in last one and half months. Post and telecommunication minister Razi Uddin Razu told that demand for BTCL land phone has been increased after announcement of free package for clients at district and upazila levels.

"Clients are coming to take recommendation everyday for land phone," he said adding about one lakh applications were submitted across the country for the BTCL phone, which are now under process. Since July 1 this year the BTCL stared giving free connection of land phone at district and upazila levels for three months on first come first serve basis. Earlier, the whole country was brought under a same zone fixing the call rate at 30 paisa per minute. Sources in the telecommunication ministry said, cable lines are being installed in the upazilas where the work is progressing slowly due to shortage of cable lines.

Some divisional engineers said the process is somehow being slowed, as they are not getting required quality of cable from cable industry in Khulna. However, Managing Director of the BTCL SM Khabiruzzaman said there is no scarcity of cable. He said, the people once had returned their telephones, but now they are out to get connection from BTCL as its services and rates both turned attractive for them. He said the divisional engineers were asked to arrange cable line in every upazila and giving line to waiting clients as soon as possible.