Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (BTRC) earned Tk 14.0 billion through the allocation of some additional frequency spectrum to three mobile phone operators -- Aktel, GrameenPhone and Bangla Link, reports UNB.
Disclosing this at a press conference at Setu Bhaban in the city Monday, BTRC chairman Maj Gen (retd) Manzurul Alam said the cellular phone operators were allocated 17.5 megahertz of the total frequency spectrum, which will help them to expand their networks in more areas.
One megahertz cost the cell phone operators Tk 800 million.
He hoped that this additional allocation would lead to rational access of the mobile phone operators to the national spectrum.
In another move, Manzurul Alam said, the BTRC is likely to introduce a mobile number portability and IME system under which the lost or stolen phone sets could be locked for others.
"Owner of a mobile phone set could lock the set immediately after it is lost or stolen," he said.
"I am confident, we'll be able to introduce the system by December this year," the BTRC chief said adding that this would reduce the trend of mugging of mobile phone.
He noted that Britain is the first country which successfully introduced this system where about 20,000 mobile phone sets are either lost or stolen a year.
Apart from the frequency sale, the BTRC also earned Tk 1.31 billion (US$5.5 million) from a share transfer of Aktel to a Japanese company.
Citing the experience of his recent visit to Britain, the BTRC chairman said many British firms have expressed keen interest to invest in the country's telecommunication sector, particularly in call centre business. Six deals were signed between the British companies and Bangladesh counterparts who obtained the call centre auction.
"We're hopeful, the country will get substantial financial benefit from the call centre business within 3 years," he said.
He said that BTRC would join a meeting of the South Asian Telecom Conference in New Delhi where the SAARC countries would try to introduce a common roaming tariff for the mobile phone consumers.
Manjurul Alam said so far, BTRC has stopped the connection of about 98,000 unregistered mobile phone SIMs.
Replying to a question, he said the role of BTRC would not change if any new democratic government comes to power through the next parliamentary election.
"This is my expectation that the next government will continue to support BTRC as it has been working in favour of public interest," he added.
Leading cell phone operators buy addl frequency at Tk 14b
FE Team | Published: September 30, 2008 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
Share if you like