Page 113 - SAMENA Trends - February-March 2021

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

for the 5MHz block. The spectrum licenses are valid for 15 years, crore at the end of February. State-owned Teletalk gained 1.11
with operators required to pay 25% of the fee by 23 March and the lakh connections in February to take its subscriber base to 55.3
remainder in instalments over five years. lakh. (March 13, 2021) newagebd.net
(March 15, 2021) commsupdate.com
Operators in Bangladesh spent $898.2 million to secure spectrum
The four mobile phone operators obtained 30.83 lakh new in the 1800MHz and 2100MHz bands to expand their limited 4G
subscribers in February with the leading telecom operator, holdings as demand for data services soars. The Bangladesh
Grameenphone, adding 22.69 lakh new customers to its base Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BRTC) auctioned
in the month after losing 9.16 lakh customers in January. four 5MHz blocks in the 2100MHz band and 7.4MHz of 1800MHz
The total number of connections of the operators increased spectrum. Data from BRTC shown to Mobile World Live (MWL)
to 17.33 crore at the end of February from 17.02 crore in the revealed Grameenphone spent $391.8 million on 10MHz of
previous month, showed the Bangladesh Telecommunication 2100MHz and 0.4MHz of 1800MHz airwaves, bringing its total
Regulatory Commission data. Of the connections, mobile internet holdings to 47.4MHz, 20MHz of which is in the 2100MHz band.
connections in the country increased by 1.58 lakh to 10.32 crore Robi Axiata acquired 5MHz of 2100MHz and 2.6MHz of 1800MHz
crore at the end of February. With 95.22 lakh broadband internet band for $225.6 million, while Banglalink bought 5MHz of
connections, the total mobile and broadband internet connections 2100MHz and 4.4MHz of 1800MHz for $281.4 million: they each
in the country reached 11.27 crore in February. Even though the now have 15MHz of 2100MHz spectrum. All three increased
country’s mobile phone users and internet connections have been their individual holdings in the 1800MHz band to 20MHz. In a
on the rise, customers have continued to be dissatisfied with the statement to Grameenphone acting CEO and CFO Jens Becker
service quality of the telecom operators. To improve the service told MWL the additional spectrum leaves it “well-positioned to
quality, the telecom regulatory body auctioned 27.4 megahertz further contribute to the digitalization of Bangladesh and meet
of spectrum on March 8 as the telecom operators were using people’s growing need for high-speed internet in rural as well
very low volumes of radio frequency to serve the customers. as urban areas”. He added it will continue enhancing 4G quality
The commission has also started a wider test of service quality of service by focusing on widespread coverage. The spectrum
of the telecom operators to improve customer satisfaction. licenses have 15-year terms, with operators required to pay 25 per
After the spectrum auction, the posts and telecommunications cent by 23 March and the remainder in instalments over five years.
minister expected that the acquisition of spectrum by the telecom In April 2020, the operators called on BTRC to release additional
operators would help to improve the quality of service. The BTRC 2100MHz spectrum as they experienced a surged in data usage
report showed that leading mobile operator GP’s subscriber base during a Covid-19 (coronavirus) lockdown. The country held its
increased to 8.04 crore in February. The number of connections first 4G spectrum auction in early 2018. GSMA Intelligence data
of Robi, the second largest mobile operator, rose by 3.88 lakh in showed 4G connections increased 70 per cent year-on-year to 27
February and reached 5.15 crore at the end of the month. The million in 2020, with penetration up from 9.7 per cent in 2019 to 16
number of Banglalink connections rose by 3.65 lakh to reach 3.59 per cent. (March 10, 2021) mobileworldlive.com

Egypt

The Minister of Communications and Information Technology also supply the district with fiber-optic cables to improve the
Amr Talaat has inaugurated several projects under his ministry’s efficiency of the Internet in every home in the district’s villages.
umbrella in the Kafr El-Sheikh governorate. Talaat also met with A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between
Kafr El-Sheikh Governor Gamal Nour El-Din on the sideline of his the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and
visit to the governorate to inaugurate and inspect some of the Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, with the aim of empowering women
Ministry’s projects there. The Minister said that a digital training using technology. It also aims to enable an e-learning culture,
and innovation center will be established in Kafr El-Sheikh with building knowledge societies, and support and develop the digital
investments of EGP 100m. It will provide technical training and capabilities and skills of youth in the governorate. The MoU will
implement programmes for digital creativity and entrepreneurship last for two years, and its scope of work includes educating 1000
for young people. Additionally, during this year, 50 post offices in women and girls on financial inclusion and the safe internet. At
the governorate will be developed and provided with two mobile the same time, it will empower 500 women and girls on the basics
offices to serve crowded areas, in addition to the installation of inclusiveness and financial independence. The initiative will
of 40 machines ATMs. He added that his Ministry will raise support the services provided by government agencies in this
the efficiency of the information infrastructure in the Motobas regard, whilst contributing to opening bank accounts at Egypt
district. It comes as part of the Ministry of Communications post or an Egyptian bank, and which are compatible with the
and Information Technology’s participation in the “Decent Life” needs of women and girls. At the same time, it is set to empower
initiative to develop villages. The participation will see the ministry female knowledge pioneers and entrepreneurs with information

113 FEB-MAR 2021