Spectrum will be auctioned soon, says Mustafa Jabbar

Summit Towers Limited (STL), a subsidiary of Summit Group Thursday announced at a signing ceremony that it has been awarded to build two hundred and fifty nine telecom towers on build-to-suit basis, said a statement.

The award of this contract marks a significant milestone for Summit Towers and commencement of a long-term partnership with Banglalink. Together with Banglalink, STL targets to complete the project of building these 259 towers by January 2021. STL plans to rollout throughout the country with Banglalink as well other MNOs by building more towers in the coming years.

Mustafa Jabbar, Posts and Telecommunications Minister as the Chief Guest of the event remarked, "Today's journey will open a new horizon in the field of quality of service." He said, "This agreement also marks the beginning of initiative taken in 2018 through the signing of the tower sharing agreement with four companies. This agreement has made it easier for the mobile [network] operators (MNOs) in this capital intensive telecom sector to expand the network as well as improve quality mobile services offered by the operators." He added, "To improve the quality of service, spectrum will be auctioned soon."

SergiHerrero, Chairman, Banglalink and Group Co-Chief Executive Officer, Veon said, "We see Bangladesh as a promising market with a huge growth opportunity. Considering its potential in digital services, we have been investing heavily in Banglalink's network and digital platforms, and have witnessed good performances in recent times. This agreement with Summit will certainly give a new impetus to its network expansion. With a proven track record of making great contributions to Bangladesh's infrastructural development, Summit is an organization which we can rely upon, and have as a trusted partner in our digital journey. Firmly committed to supporting the Government's digital agenda, Veon wants to keep investing if a favourable regulatory regime and a level playing field are ensured in the telecom industry."

Md. Arif al Islam, Managing Director & CEO of Summit Towers Limted commented, "We are really proud to be the first tower company to begin tower services with an approved Service Level Agreement under the new TowerCo regime. Summit Group has been working towards infrastructure development of the country over the last four decades and its entrance in telecom infrastructure a decade ago is fulfilled by fibre optics network, gateway and now tower being added in the portfolio. It will be a great opportunity for us to contribute to the forthcoming national level 5G rollout. We appreciate Banglalink's warm welcome and for putting their trust in us. We are committed to provide the best possible services to Banglalink to strengthen this partnership forward."

Erik Aas, Chief Executive Officer, Banglalink said, "I would like to thank Summit for being our partner in

theendeavour to expand Banglalink's strong network across the country. Their infrastructural support will surely help us move forward in the upcoming days. We always appreciate and welcome the regulatory initiatives that bring positive changes in the industry and benefit the customers. Such initiatives can significantly facilitate the infrastructural development of Digital Bangladesh as well."

The virtual meeting was attended by Md. Afzal Hossain, Secretary, Posts and Telecommunications Division, Brigadier General Md. EhsanulKabir, Director General, BTRC, Muhammed Aziz Khan, Founder Chairman of Summit Group, Farid Khan, Vice Chairman of Summit Group, SergiHerrero, Chairman of Banglalink and Group Co-CEO of Veon Group, Taimur Rahman, Chief Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Officer, Banglalink, Fadiah Khan, Director, Summit Group and other senior officials.