ISPs launch operation of internet telephony services
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
FE Report
Internet service providers in Bangladesh entered the era of IP (Internet Protocol) telephony Tuesday as a total of 18 local ISPs formally launched their operation of commercial internet telephony services in the country.
The move has opened the way, with some restrictions, for transmission of voice using the Internet protocol- service providers say; as from now on it would be possible to make or receive phone calls over the internet to any mobile or PSTN numbers or another IP phone.
The service was formally launched through an auspicious ceremony at a city hotel. State Minister for Science and ICT Yeafesh Osman formally unveiled the services through a demonstration.
"As a result of this new service, anyone with an internet connection can make phone calls through an wide array of devices including ATA devices, USB phones, IP phones, Wi-Fi IP phones, SIP enabled cell phones or merely through soft phones on the desktop or laptop PCs"- President of Internet Service Providers' Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) Akhtaruzzaman Manju said.
"They can make or receive calls from anywhere in Bangladesh using their IP phone to a mobile or PSTN numbers", he said, "although, there are some policy restrictions on making phone calls to another IP connections or another computer and there are also some restrictions on using the same service from abroad or for making international calls".
Earlier in 2009, the regulatory body gave the green light to the local ISPs for providing the IP telephony services in the country, ending a 10 year long wait. Accordingly, a total of 22 companies took the license for IPTSP, out of which, 18 ISPs went to IP telephony operation Tuesday.
Hailing the move, State Minister for Science and ICT Yeafesh Osman said, "Operators must aim to bring their services to a wider section of the society, as reaching a wider array of customers at a cheaper cost would easily increase their profit".
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman of Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Zia Ahmed said that government is currently looking for the utilization of more than 1500 kilometer of fibre optic cable that remains mostly unused.
"At the same time, we are also reviewing the tariff charges for short messaging services given the widespread use of SMS in the daily life and the cost of sending SMS over the mobile phone may get slashed in the near future as a result of this move", he added.
"Currently, the work is also under way to bring the illegal VoIP operators under a legal revenue structure" he later told the reporters, adding, "this would also help increase the government revenue from the sector".
The monthly charges for making calls between one IP connections to another IP connections would be Tk. 100.00, the service providers said, while for calls made between IP numbers and mobile or PSTN numbers the call rate would be Tk. 0.65 per minute.
"The IP telephone connections would come with a package of value added services including video calls, messaging, call forwarding or waiting as well as audio and video conferencing", said ATM Sayeduzzaman of BDCom Online Limited.
Internet service providers in Bangladesh entered the era of IP (Internet Protocol) telephony Tuesday as a total of 18 local ISPs formally launched their operation of commercial internet telephony services in the country.
The move has opened the way, with some restrictions, for transmission of voice using the Internet protocol- service providers say; as from now on it would be possible to make or receive phone calls over the internet to any mobile or PSTN numbers or another IP phone.
The service was formally launched through an auspicious ceremony at a city hotel. State Minister for Science and ICT Yeafesh Osman formally unveiled the services through a demonstration.
"As a result of this new service, anyone with an internet connection can make phone calls through an wide array of devices including ATA devices, USB phones, IP phones, Wi-Fi IP phones, SIP enabled cell phones or merely through soft phones on the desktop or laptop PCs"- President of Internet Service Providers' Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) Akhtaruzzaman Manju said.
"They can make or receive calls from anywhere in Bangladesh using their IP phone to a mobile or PSTN numbers", he said, "although, there are some policy restrictions on making phone calls to another IP connections or another computer and there are also some restrictions on using the same service from abroad or for making international calls".
Earlier in 2009, the regulatory body gave the green light to the local ISPs for providing the IP telephony services in the country, ending a 10 year long wait. Accordingly, a total of 22 companies took the license for IPTSP, out of which, 18 ISPs went to IP telephony operation Tuesday.
Hailing the move, State Minister for Science and ICT Yeafesh Osman said, "Operators must aim to bring their services to a wider section of the society, as reaching a wider array of customers at a cheaper cost would easily increase their profit".
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman of Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Zia Ahmed said that government is currently looking for the utilization of more than 1500 kilometer of fibre optic cable that remains mostly unused.
"At the same time, we are also reviewing the tariff charges for short messaging services given the widespread use of SMS in the daily life and the cost of sending SMS over the mobile phone may get slashed in the near future as a result of this move", he added.
"Currently, the work is also under way to bring the illegal VoIP operators under a legal revenue structure" he later told the reporters, adding, "this would also help increase the government revenue from the sector".
The monthly charges for making calls between one IP connections to another IP connections would be Tk. 100.00, the service providers said, while for calls made between IP numbers and mobile or PSTN numbers the call rate would be Tk. 0.65 per minute.
"The IP telephone connections would come with a package of value added services including video calls, messaging, call forwarding or waiting as well as audio and video conferencing", said ATM Sayeduzzaman of BDCom Online Limited.