Govt cuts bandwidth charges by 40pc

FE Report The government has reduced bandwidth charges by 40 per cent for call centres to make the sector internationally competitive. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) took the decision recently to support the fledging sector for its sustainability, commission officials said. The call centre owners will pay Tk 6,000 for per MBPS (megabit per second) instead of Tk 10,000, which is applicable for other users. President of Bangladesh Association of Call Centre and Outsourcing (BACCO) Ahmadul Hoq said this decision will help the sector withstand competition from Indian firms. He, however, said the sector will not get the much-needed boost without second submarine cable that will ensure smooth connectivity with the world. Mr Hoq said that International Terrestrial Cable (ITC), which is ready to start its activities in a few months, will not be enough to provide quality service. "We are facing problem to get outsourcing work from foreign companies for not having strong IT infrastructure, though the country has the opportunity for its low cost price," BACCO president said. BACCO president suggested that the government should set a timeframe for installing the second submarine cable so that the sector could ready its next business plan. Mr Hoq also said the government should relax the new sector withdrawing its different kinds of barriers like 0.5 per cent gross revenue sharing. He, however, opposed the BTRC decision of separating physical infrastructure of domestic and international call centres.