The Appellate Division today asked mobile phone operator Grameenphone how much it can pay Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) out of its Tk12,579 crore dues.

The court asked the Grameenphone lawyer to provide the information in next hearing on October 31.

An Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order on Thursday.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam represented the state while Barrister Fazle Noor Tapas and Advocate AM Amin Uddin stood for Grameen Phone and lawyer Khandaker Reza-e-Rakib stood for BTRC.

On October 21, the High Court rejected Grameenphone's plea for an arbitration to mutually settle its dues of Tk12,579 crore claimed by BTRC.

Dr Sharif Bhuiyan and Tanim Hossain Shaon filed the plea for arbitration on behalf of Grameenphone while Khondokar Reza-E Rakib represented the BTRC.

Tanim Hossain Shaon said according to the BTRC-1996 Act, the litigants concerned could file for arbitration. But the act in 2004 was revised without consultation with stakeholders in the telecommunication industry and the provision for arbitration was annulled.