The telecom regulator has extended deadline for the spectrum auction by 20 days, amid some disputes over regulatory issues with mobile phone operators.
According the fresh notice of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), now the final bidding will be held on May 20, this year.
The telecom regulator in its notice said they have extended the timeframe because of 'prevailing circumstances', but it didn't clearly explain the circumstances.
However, the mobile operators said that the telecom watchdog extended the timeframe for resolving some issues including resolving SIM replacement tax dispute before holding the auction.
"It seems that the postponement period for the auction submission date is too short to resolve the long pending industry issues at hand," Mahmud Hossain, chief corporate affairs officer of Grameenphone said.
The spokesman of the leading telephony firm said they would request the relevant authorities, including the regulator, to utilise this time through expediting the resolution process.
Secretary General of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) TIM Nurul Kabir said this extension might be following their demand as the operators have clearly told the regulator that they couldn't participate at the forthcoming auction, unless it resolves few disputed regulatory affairs.
Asked whether 20 days is enough, to settle this long-pending disputed regulatory affairs, Mr Kabir said if the government wants, it's possible to resolve these in this timeframe.
Earlier, the major parent bodies of the local telephony firms in a letter expressed their 'inability' to recommend their local mobile operators for participating in the upcoming auction unless the government settles a number of regulatory affairs.
Besides, the local operators also demanded final and satisfactory settlement of the SIM replacement tax dispute before holding the mega auction for the exclusive airwave frequency.
According to the notice, the aspirant candidates now could submit their application until April 16 and the authorities will publish the list of qualified applicants on April 21, while winners will be declared on May 20.
The government will allocate 15MHz and 10.6MHz in the respective slot of 2100MHz and 1800 MHz through the auction.
According to the guidelines, the government has fixed US$ 30 million as the base price for per mega hertz in 1800 band and $ 22 million for per mega hertz in 2100 band.
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