Page 113 - SAMENA Trends - November-December 2019

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Three tower companies in Bangladesh requested waivers from the mobile customers, while Teletalk ended October with 4.70 million
government on making annual fees, revenue sharing and social mobile customers. The BTRC report also shows that there were
obligation fund payments, as they have yet to start operations 99.56 million internet subscribers in October, up from 98.42 million
due to disagreements with mobile operators, local newspaper in September. The fixed-line internet user base slightly increased
The Independent reported. Summit Towers, Kirtonkhola Tower to 5.738 million in October from 5.737 million in September, and
Bangladesh and HighTech Consortium were awarded tower- the WiMax subscriber base fell to 38,000 in October from 40,000
sharing licenses in 2018 and received one-year waivers on in the previous month. Internet subscribers are defined as people
paying fees as they deployed their networks. In letters sent to the who have used the internet at least once in the past 90 days.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), (November 18, 2019) telecompaper.com
the tower companies asked for the waivers to continue for an
additional year while they work out service level agreements Mobile phone users will soon be able to call 999 or any other
with the operators and initiate service. The government forewent emergency numbers without a mobile SIM card or internet
payments estimated at BDT150 million ($1.8 million) in annual access during natural disasters. Any live mobile network can
fees alone from the three companies, the newspaper wrote. BTRC be used to make the call. A trial run on this by a joint team of
agreed to a 5.5 per cent waiver on the companies’ annual fees the disaster management division, telecom regulator and army
and revenue sharing, along with a 1 per cent deferral on the social officials in the last two days proved to be a success. During the
welfare fund contribution. The recommendation needs approval trail, it was found that if a user found their mobile network down
from the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information or destroyed, they could still immediately contact the authorities
Technology. Edotco Bangladesh also was awarded a tower- using the emergency number. Currently 999 is used for emergency
sharing license in 2018 and is the only one of the four to have situations. It was developed by the information communication
launched service. division in 2017 and is being currently run by police. Every mobile
(December 9, 2019) mobileworldlive.com phone, both smart and otherwise, have an emergency calling
option, which can now be used for free, said a member of the joint
The Appellate Division has given GrameenPhone (GP) three team. The government now needs to make a regulation on the
months to pay BDT20 billion (USD231 million) of the BDT125.8 “SIM-less” emergency service can be used, he added. “Against
billion claimed by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory this backdrop, mobile operators need to align their network with
Commission (BTRC) as unpaid dues in its 2019 audit of the this system and then users can access these facilities,” said Md.
telecoms firm. A seven-judge full bench issued the directive while Zahik Hossain Khan, senior assistant director of the Bangladesh
disposing of BTRC’s application for vacating the High Court’s Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). “It’s like a
stay on realization of the audit claim. The Appellate Division normal call. The joint team has tested it by removing their SIM
highlighted that the High Court’s earlier stay would stand vacated cards and they found response,” Khan, also the spokesperson
if GP failed to make the payment in the stipulated period. BTRC of the BTRC, said. The emergency number can prove very useful
lawyer Khandaker Reza-E-Raquib told reporters that the BDT20 in cases of natural disasters, mostly in the coastal belt of the
billion set by the Appellate Division was not the final settlement country, where mobile towers are often damaged. If even one
over the dues: ‘The final settlement over the amount will come mobile network is live, then mobile phone users can use that
from the courts after disposal of the cases.’ For its part, GP said for the calls, said a senior member of the armed forces division.
that it ‘looks forward to the BTRC to immediately comply with the He said in some developed countries these kind of channels
valid injunction order’ and not to obstruct the telecom operator already have been introduced. “We have done our part; now the
from proceeding with its planned network expansion and the government needs to formulate a policy for it, which will be a
offering of new plans and services to end users. milestone of our resistance against natural disaster.” To make this
(November 25, 2019) Daily New Age initiative successful, the joint team will bring all mobile operators
under a single network and take support from Chinese network
Bangladesh ended October with 164.17 million mobile phone vendor Huawei, they said. BTRC officials said mobile operators
subscribers, up from 163.41 million in September, according would be directed to facilitate the emergency services. The trial
to data from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory for the initiative was held in Purbachal, Dhaka and Rangpur.
Commission (BTRC). Grameenphone led the a market with 76.06 Government and Rural Development Minister Md Tazul Islam and
million mobile customers in October, up from 75.71 million in State minister for disaster management and relief Md. Enamur
September, followed by Robi Axiata with 48.34 million, up from Rahman were present.
48.19 million the previous month. Banglalink had 35.04 million (November 2, 2019) thedailystar.net

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