Grameenphone (GP) users reported disrupted services in some places of the country on Thursday.

Many people posted on social media platforms saying that they faced difficulty in making phone calls and sending SMSs through the SIM of the mobile operator that has the largest base of 7.93 crore subscribers.

"We sincerely apologize for the temporary difficulty in making calls due to multiple fibre optics cable cut. Our team is prioritizing this issue and working relentlessly to resolve the problem at the earliest," said GP Head of Communications Khairul Basher.

Another official of the mobile operator said, "Fibre cables were cut at three places in Tangail and Sirajganj during road reparation works at 11.45am. We are trying to fix it as soon as possible." 

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has sent a letter to Grameenphone seeking explanation about the network failure and how long it would take to resume the services. In response, the mobile operator informed BTRC that network will be back within 1.5 hours.

As the service is disrupted, people who use GP's mobile network and internet service for communications had been virtually cut off. 

Many resorted to using alternatives such as wifi connections or networks of other operators. 

The disruption in the operator's network added to the distress of patients as many couldn't contact medical services or make urgent appointments with the doctors.

In June last year, BTRC imposed an indefinite suspension on the SIM card sale of GP for the operator's failure to provide quality service.

Following a regulatory approval in September, Grameenphone was allowed to sell SIM cards against its suspended unused numbers.

However, after allowing GP to sell unused but pre-approved SIM, BTRC backtracked on its decision in November. The telecom regulator barred the country's leading telecom operator from recycling old SIM cards, on top of selling new ones. 

On 3 January this year, the government lifted the ban on GP SIM card sales.