Telecom infrastructure operators urge satellite communication policy, control on VSAT
Monday, 13 April 2009
FE Report
Leading operators of telecom infrastructure in the country Sunday came down heavily on the illegal VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) operators, whom they blamed for the loss of government revenue worth Tk 5.0 billion (500 crore) each year.
Apart from depriving the country of the huge sum of revenue; these illegal VoIP operators are also leaving the nation dangerously exposed to cyber crime and international terrorism, they warned at a press conference held in the city.
Telecommunication Infrastructure Operators of Bangladesh (TIOB); the coordinating body of the local telecom infrastructure companies, organised the press conference.
"According to various estimates, illegal VoIP business is eating up revenue worth Tk.50 million every single day," Mir Nasir Hossain, Chairman of the TOIB, told the reporters. "So, the liberal estimates put the annual loss of revenue at Tk. 5 billion," he added.
"Potential foreign exchange earning through IGW (International Gateway) for Bangladesh is approximately US$ 500 million (Tk 35 billion) per year, of which more than 50 per cent is lost due to illegal VoIP termination," the press conference was told.
"Illegal VoIP operators lure the customers by offering services at a much cheaper rate, and simultaneously they manage to keep the price low by evading the government taxes thanks to being illegal entities," they said.
Bangladesh government first formulated the policy on International Long Distance Telecommunication Services (ILDTS) in 2007 to facilitate, liberalise and legitimise ILDTS including VOIP to meet the increasing demand from overseas callers.
Accordingly, a total of nine companies, all locally owned, were issued licences to work individually on the defined path for the three-tier telecommunication infrastructure, namely, IGW, ICX (Interconnect Exchange) and ANS (Access Network Service).
Despite this wholesale restructuring of the telecom infrastructure, the illegal VoIP operators have an extensive presence in the telecom market, offering much lower rates than their legitimate counterparts.
Underlining the need for a desperate drive against these illegal VoIP operators, the telecom infrastructure giants pointed out that with all of the nine companies combined, an estimated Tk 5.0 billion (500 crore) was invested to develop the necessary infrastructure while approximately Tk 1.65 billion was given as revenue since incepting the operation in August 2008.
Pinpointing the big strides made thanks to the ILDTS Policy and the future prospect, Mir Nasir also said, "Restructuring of the telecom infrastructure has created opportunities for foreign exchange earnings worth about US$ 500 million while boosting local business and capital market.
He also urged control and restriction on the use of VSAT, implementing DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) on all IIGs (International Internet Gateways) as well as adoption of a satellite communication policy.
Leading operators of telecom infrastructure in the country Sunday came down heavily on the illegal VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) operators, whom they blamed for the loss of government revenue worth Tk 5.0 billion (500 crore) each year.
Apart from depriving the country of the huge sum of revenue; these illegal VoIP operators are also leaving the nation dangerously exposed to cyber crime and international terrorism, they warned at a press conference held in the city.
Telecommunication Infrastructure Operators of Bangladesh (TIOB); the coordinating body of the local telecom infrastructure companies, organised the press conference.
"According to various estimates, illegal VoIP business is eating up revenue worth Tk.50 million every single day," Mir Nasir Hossain, Chairman of the TOIB, told the reporters. "So, the liberal estimates put the annual loss of revenue at Tk. 5 billion," he added.
"Potential foreign exchange earning through IGW (International Gateway) for Bangladesh is approximately US$ 500 million (Tk 35 billion) per year, of which more than 50 per cent is lost due to illegal VoIP termination," the press conference was told.
"Illegal VoIP operators lure the customers by offering services at a much cheaper rate, and simultaneously they manage to keep the price low by evading the government taxes thanks to being illegal entities," they said.
Bangladesh government first formulated the policy on International Long Distance Telecommunication Services (ILDTS) in 2007 to facilitate, liberalise and legitimise ILDTS including VOIP to meet the increasing demand from overseas callers.
Accordingly, a total of nine companies, all locally owned, were issued licences to work individually on the defined path for the three-tier telecommunication infrastructure, namely, IGW, ICX (Interconnect Exchange) and ANS (Access Network Service).
Despite this wholesale restructuring of the telecom infrastructure, the illegal VoIP operators have an extensive presence in the telecom market, offering much lower rates than their legitimate counterparts.
Underlining the need for a desperate drive against these illegal VoIP operators, the telecom infrastructure giants pointed out that with all of the nine companies combined, an estimated Tk 5.0 billion (500 crore) was invested to develop the necessary infrastructure while approximately Tk 1.65 billion was given as revenue since incepting the operation in August 2008.
Pinpointing the big strides made thanks to the ILDTS Policy and the future prospect, Mir Nasir also said, "Restructuring of the telecom infrastructure has created opportunities for foreign exchange earnings worth about US$ 500 million while boosting local business and capital market.
He also urged control and restriction on the use of VSAT, implementing DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) on all IIGs (International Internet Gateways) as well as adoption of a satellite communication policy.