The telecommunication division is going to place the draft of National Telecommunication Policy 2015 before the cabinet this month for its approval.
The draft, which will be placed on November 16, has been prepared on the basis of 10-year business forecast of the telecommunication industry and to ensure a telecom-friendly environment in Bangladesh.
Before that an inter-ministerial meeting will be held at the secretariat on November 11.
The policy will be for a 10-year period, but there will be a scope for revision from time to time to keep abreast with the changing scenario in the emerging sector, officials said.
To have more modifications of the draft policy, the telecommunication division held several meetings with stakeholders, regulatory body and the industry people.
The National Telecommunications Policy was formulated in 1998 and it had been updated twice in assistance with World Bank and International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The revisions took place first in 2010 and then in 2012. In 2010, the policy was revised with the assistance of World Bank at a cost of TK39 lakh. Later, ITU helped to bring an amendment at free of cost.
It was posted on the website of the division to take public views and feedback. But the division said it didn’t get “satisfactory feedback” from the public.
According to the latest statistics, in July 2014 the total data consumption by the country’s subscribers was 2,500 terabyte while it rose to 4,710 terabyte in January 2015.
Considering the statistics, the division will include per capita data use in the latest telecommunication policy, said an official. He said the policy would be based on five principles including open and competitive market, universal access, effective governance and forward looking.
“We have reviewed telecommunication policies in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Netherlands. Finally, taking our geographical position and culture into account, we have included different issues,” the official said.
The division’s joint secretary Husnul Mahmud said: “With the slogan ‘Telephone for All,’ our mission is to ensure an integrated telecommunications network and services for all individuals, households and businesses in Bangladesh.”
“Then we can develop an institutional framework to support research and development works,” he said.
The government for the first time has included short-term, mid-term and long-term industry targets in the country’s telecom policy.
A total of 1,200 union parishads will be connected through optical fibre cable by 2018 under the short-term target while 100% telecom density will be achieved by 2021 under the mid-term target.
Around 60% population of the country will be brought under the broadband services by the year 2025 under the long-term goal.
According to the draft policy, to protect customer rights, the launch of mobile number portability system has also been cited in the policy.
The draft policy stresses that the state-run mobile operator Teletalk and Bangladesh Telecommunication Corporation Ltd (BTCL) will increase its capacities to compete with other business entities in the market.
It also says the service providers must comply with performance standards and quality of service parameters.
Source: http://www.dhakatribune.com/business/2015/nov/04/draft-telecom-policy-goes-cabinet-month