Govt approves VoIP policy

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FE Report
The government approved Monday the International Long Distance Telecommunication Service (ILDTS) Policy-2007 to open up the voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service to private sector.
"Under this policy the government has decided to establish a three-tier telecom infrastructure -- international gateway (IGW), Interconnection Exchange (ICX) and Access Network Services (ANS) -- to facilitate the ILDTS," secretary of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunication (MoPT) Sheikh Khurshid Alam told a press conference.
Chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and the chief of the technical committee that prepared the policy, were also present at the press conference held at the telecommunication ministry.
The BTRC chairman said the IGW will facilitate voice and data transfer across the globe through the submarine cable and ICX.
The ICX will provide interconnection with the IGW and ANS, while the ANS will offer services to the end-users through ICX.
Under the ICX licences, six exchanges will be set up across the country -- two in Dhaka and one each in Chittagong, Sylhet, Bogra and Khulna.
One Internet Exchange (IX) licence will be offered to private sector to facilitate internet services.
Two exchanges will be installed - one in Dhaka another in Chittagong - to facilitate data transfer to the ANS operators.
The government will provide three IGWs and two ICXs licences through auction among the private operators within the next couple of months, said the BTRC chairman.
Only the companies that are fully owned by resident Bangladeshis are qualified for the licences.
No foreign company or joint venture with foreign firms will qualify to apply for IGW or ICX licences, the BTRC chairman said categorically.
Even the non-resident Bangladeshis' business outfits will be eligible for these licences, he added.
The fixed or mobile phone operators are not also entitled to get the licenses.
The existing IGW, ICX and IX licences of the state-owned Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) will remain valid, but it will have to obtain licence from the BTRC under the same conditions.
"It will ensure level playing field for both the public and private operators," said the chief of the BTRC, the telecom licence providing authority.
The government will not provide any fresh Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) licences and the existing VSATs will be shut down in phases.
"This ILDTS policy aims at attracting local investors, creating employment opportunities, upgrading client service standards and expanding use of internet across the country," the BTRC chairman said.
Earlier, the council of advisers approved the policy in principle in July 14 last to open up the modern telecommunication facility - VoIP -- for private operators against the backdrop of its widespread illegal uses across the country.