Govt to privatise international telephony

The government will auction three international gateway (IGW) and two interconnection exchange (ICX) licences among private operators in October, a top official said Monday. But no foreign company or foreign joint venture will qualify to apply for IGW or ICX licence, Manzurul Alam, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, said at a press conference at the telecoms ministry. "Even the non-resident Bangladeshis' business outfits are not eligible either," he said. "Only the companies fully owned by resident Bangladeshi citizens are qualified for these international telecoms licences." The regulatory chief has outlined a two-tier international licensing regime for the private sector international telecoms services. The proposed three IGW facilities will be connected with the submarine cable of BTTB. All of them will be installed in Dhaka.