Bangladesh's phone companies bid US$1.24 billion to obtain additional spectrum in order to stay competitive in the race for networks serving nearly 181 million customers.
The South Asian country's four top operators -- Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and Teletalk acquired 190 MHz (megahertz) of spectrum at some 1.24 billion U.S. dollars.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) staged the auction in capital Dhaka, which was attended, among others, by the country's Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar.
The one-hour auction concluded on Thursday morning. It staged 100 MHz of spectrum in 2,300 bands and 120 MHz in 2,600 bands and the base price for both bands was 6 million U.S. dollars per megahertz.
The country's top two cell phone operators Grameenphone and Robi each acquired a 60 MHz spectrum in 2,600 bands. The third largest telecom operator Banglalink and state-owned Teletalk acquired 40 MHz and 30 MHz, respectively, in 2,300 bands.
Apart from spectrum fees, the operators will have to pay 15 percent value-added tax (VAT) as well.
Yasir Azman, chief executive officer of Grameenphone, said that through this auction, the Bangladeshi government has taken another step toward realizing "Digital Bangladesh."
He said, "Grameenphone's acquisition of the maximum allowable 60 MHz spectrum reflects our strong commitment to creating digital possibilities for people across the country."
In his concluding remarks at the auction, Jabbar expressed hope that the fresh radio-frequency allocations to mobile phone operators will help bolster both 4G and 5G mobile services in the country.
"We're learning from our neighbor China how to get optimum benefits of 5G applications," said the minister.
Bangladeshi Prime Minister's ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy in December last year inaugurated the 5G or fifth-generation mobile services in the country via state-run cellphone operator Teletalk in collaboration with the Chinese telecom giant Huawei.
With the launch of the next-generation services, mobile users in selected places in parts of the country now have access to high-speed 5G Internet through their mobile phones at a relatively lower price. ■
Source: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/asiapacific/20220331/ed2295cf59a64a128af0731be181b23b/c.html