Tk 20b revenue expected from licensed VoIP operators
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Government exchequer is expected to earn Tk 20 billion (2000 crore) in revenue this year from voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) operations as Tk 15 billion (1500 crore) has already been earned in the last nine months since the operators were licenced in August 2008, reports UNB.
Prior to the issuance of VoIP licences to private operators, government had earned only Tk 5.0 billion (500 crore) last year. The rest of the possible earnings were gobbled up by illegal VoIP operators in the booming business.
According to sources in Bangladesh Telecommuni-cations Regulatory Commission (BTRC), three private operators and the state-owned Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL), who were issued licences last year, paid the amount (Tk 20 billion) to the govt exchequer.
Among them, Tk 12 billion (1,200) was paid by the three private operators -- Mir Telecom, Novotel and Bangla Trac Communications -- while the state-run BTCL paid Tk 3.0 billion (300 crore).
The companies obtained the international gateway (IGW) licences from the BTRC under the International Long Distance Telecommunications Service (ILDTS) Policy 2007.
BTRC officials said before opening the high-tech phoning business for the private operators through the VoIP licencing, the exchequer was being deprived of huge earnings from this sector because of unabated smuggling of international calls.
Market players, however, said the clandestine international calls by vested quarters still are going on unabated, which is posing a threat to government's future revenue earning from the sector.
Prior to the issuance of VoIP licences to private operators, government had earned only Tk 5.0 billion (500 crore) last year. The rest of the possible earnings were gobbled up by illegal VoIP operators in the booming business.
According to sources in Bangladesh Telecommuni-cations Regulatory Commission (BTRC), three private operators and the state-owned Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL), who were issued licences last year, paid the amount (Tk 20 billion) to the govt exchequer.
Among them, Tk 12 billion (1,200) was paid by the three private operators -- Mir Telecom, Novotel and Bangla Trac Communications -- while the state-run BTCL paid Tk 3.0 billion (300 crore).
The companies obtained the international gateway (IGW) licences from the BTRC under the International Long Distance Telecommunications Service (ILDTS) Policy 2007.
BTRC officials said before opening the high-tech phoning business for the private operators through the VoIP licencing, the exchequer was being deprived of huge earnings from this sector because of unabated smuggling of international calls.
Market players, however, said the clandestine international calls by vested quarters still are going on unabated, which is posing a threat to government's future revenue earning from the sector.