BTRC to hire int\\\'l expert this month

The telecom regulator is going to appoint an international consultant by this month to make sure that the country's mobile telephony spectrum is managed well, a senior official said.

The spectrum management involves pricing, proper distribution, and use by a particular country.

The official said that the consultant would estimate the country's actual mobile telephony spectrum requirement and pricing.

"We'll appoint the spectrum expert by end of this month to ensure effective spectrum management," said director of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Aftab Md Rashedul Wadud.

He said the authorities will take necessary measures to determine annual charges of the International Mobile Telecommunication (IMT) spectrum bands on the telecom market diffusion and traffic volume in the country.

Spectrum management is seen essential for effective and efficient handling of the radio spectrum as well.

Considering the importance of the spectrum, Mr Wadud said the commission will take necessary steps to estimate actual IMT spectrum requirement for the next 15 years, forecasting traffic, voice, data and multi-media services.

The BTRC director said the telecom regulator has already sought applications from the qualified spectrum management experts, who have at least 15 years experience in the relevant field.

If recruited, the consultant will work on developing spectrum pricing strategies aligned with the government's and regulator's revenue goals, and objectives, setting targets and discussions with major stakeholders including cellular phone operators.

Mr Wadud said the regulator will also prepare a frequency assignment plan for FM Radio broadcasting in Bangladesh.

He said it is necessary to simulate the market value of the spectrum that requires financial analysis, estimation of demands or market valuation and to achieve expertise.

The BTRC will arrange interactive session on sharing best practices on spectrum management policy in IMT bands and will incorporate the changing technology into the national frequency allocation plan to build up capacity of the relevant officials.