The government has taken an initiative for mobile operators to provide 2G, 3G and 4G services under a single licence instead of them having to acquire three separate ones in a bid to make regulation easier and ensure accountability in the sector.
Mobile operators have obtained three separate licences for 2G, 3G and 4G services. The tenure of the licences will expire in 2026, 2028 and 2033 respectively.
The tenure of the unified licence will be up to 2033, which has been fixed taking the term for the 4G licence into account. The 4G licence was awarded in February last year.
Operators will have to pay additional charges for 2G and 3G licences and spectrum for the extended period.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has uploaded a draft proposal on its website for stakeholders to give their feedback by August 31. For the spectrum charges, the BTRC has proposed a new formula based on the respective operators’ customer base, according to the draft guideline.
A senior official of the commission says currently the BTRC maintains several accounts for a single operator because of the various licences.
The Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) welcomed the move.
“We appreciate the initiative. It will be guiding the future investment in the sector and will be impactful for the next 15 years,” said SM Farhad, secretary general of the AMTOB, in his immediate reaction.
“We will study the document and provide required feedback.”
In a statement, Banglalink said what the BTRC was preparing now was not really a unified licence, but the consolidation of the existing licences of mobile phone operators which were prepared for different technologies.
“We expected that Bangladesh will follow the global trend of having a unified licencing regime, where a licensee is allowed to provide any service. Only such a practice can pave the way for future technologies.”
“We, however, appreciate the BTRC’s initiative to consolidate the existing licences, as it will help us get a simplified document and simplify our operational activities by reducing the prevailing complexities.”
The third-largest operator also said it is necessary to make sure that the consolidated licence was compatible with the introduction of future telecom services and does not create new confusion while ensuring that existing services stay unaffected.
“We also hope that the BTRC will take necessary measures to issue a truly unified licence in future for the telecom operators.”
Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/2g-3g-4g-services-be-under-one-licence-1791166