ISPs queuing up to bag broadband licences
FE Report | Monday, 30 June 2008
The internet service providers (ISPs) are queuing up to bag licences for providing broadband wireless access services as the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) initiated process for awarding these last week, officials said.
The BTRC has already prepared the draft regulatory and licencing guidelines and sought comments from the interested persons in this connection until July 9 next, a senior BTRC official told the FE
He said under the BTRC guideline the ISPs are allowed to compete for these licences while the mobile phone operators are barred from taking part in the competition.
Apart from vying for these licences the existing ISPs will be allowed to provide wireless internet services for next five years from the day of awarding broadband wireless access service licences.
The ISPs, however, will be allowed to provide wired broadband internet services beyond the five-year's timeframe, the BTRC official said.
"This is encouraging that unlike the previous licencing round the BTRC this time did not disqualify the ISPs for competing for the broadband wireless access services," an ISP owner told the FE.
He also hoped that in line with the International Long Distance Telecommunication Service (ILDTS) Policy-2007 the commission would provide internet telephony licences (IP telephony) only to the ISPs.
Section 11 of the ILDTS Policy narrates that the BTRC will provide four types of licences - international gateway (IGW), interconnection exchange (ICX), Internet Exchange (IX) and IP telephony - to open the telecom services to private sector.
Keeping the IP telephony license only for the ISPs the BTRC has kept the licences of the IGW, ICX and IX open.
Section 12.5 of the ILDTS policy states: "IP telephony licences will be issued to ISP operators except PSTN or PLMN operators having ISP licenses."
The BTRC has already awarded tree types of licences - international gateway (IGW), interconnection exchange (ICX) and internet gateway (IIG) - to private entrepreneurs after conducting the rare live auctions by the BTRC.
The telecom regulator provided three IGW licences to Novotel Ltd, Bangla Trac Communications Ltd and Mir Telecom, two ICX licenses to M&H Telecom and Getco Telecommunications Ltd and one IIG license to Mango Teleservices.
All these six companies that received the BTRC licences has already initiated their groundbreaking works and are expected to start formal operations soon, BTRC sources said.
Awarding of the telecom licences would not only ensure significant government revenue earnings but also bring about a discipline in the telecom sector, the BTRC official said.
Due to absence of proper regulations and monitoring a section of unscrupulous businessmen in connivance with government high-ups were earning hundreds of billions taka through illegal voice over internet protocol in last several years.
The BTRC has already prepared the draft regulatory and licencing guidelines and sought comments from the interested persons in this connection until July 9 next, a senior BTRC official told the FE
He said under the BTRC guideline the ISPs are allowed to compete for these licences while the mobile phone operators are barred from taking part in the competition.
Apart from vying for these licences the existing ISPs will be allowed to provide wireless internet services for next five years from the day of awarding broadband wireless access service licences.
The ISPs, however, will be allowed to provide wired broadband internet services beyond the five-year's timeframe, the BTRC official said.
"This is encouraging that unlike the previous licencing round the BTRC this time did not disqualify the ISPs for competing for the broadband wireless access services," an ISP owner told the FE.
He also hoped that in line with the International Long Distance Telecommunication Service (ILDTS) Policy-2007 the commission would provide internet telephony licences (IP telephony) only to the ISPs.
Section 11 of the ILDTS Policy narrates that the BTRC will provide four types of licences - international gateway (IGW), interconnection exchange (ICX), Internet Exchange (IX) and IP telephony - to open the telecom services to private sector.
Keeping the IP telephony license only for the ISPs the BTRC has kept the licences of the IGW, ICX and IX open.
Section 12.5 of the ILDTS policy states: "IP telephony licences will be issued to ISP operators except PSTN or PLMN operators having ISP licenses."
The BTRC has already awarded tree types of licences - international gateway (IGW), interconnection exchange (ICX) and internet gateway (IIG) - to private entrepreneurs after conducting the rare live auctions by the BTRC.
The telecom regulator provided three IGW licences to Novotel Ltd, Bangla Trac Communications Ltd and Mir Telecom, two ICX licenses to M&H Telecom and Getco Telecommunications Ltd and one IIG license to Mango Teleservices.
All these six companies that received the BTRC licences has already initiated their groundbreaking works and are expected to start formal operations soon, BTRC sources said.
Awarding of the telecom licences would not only ensure significant government revenue earnings but also bring about a discipline in the telecom sector, the BTRC official said.
Due to absence of proper regulations and monitoring a section of unscrupulous businessmen in connivance with government high-ups were earning hundreds of billions taka through illegal voice over internet protocol in last several years.