Telecom Regulator to allow Fixed-line phones through private sector in Bangladesh

["Miraj Khaled" <khaled@bttb.net.bd>]

BTRC sources said allowing the private sector in land phone has become a
necessity as Bangladesh has Asia's second lowest tele-density, just above
the war-torn Afghanistan.
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Fixed-line phones in private sector soon
By M Shafiqul Alam

Financial Express Report
www.financialexpress-bd.com

The government of Bangladesh is going to allow fixed-line phones (land) in
the private sector very soon as several companies have lined up to increase
tele-density in the country.

Sources in the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC)
said the government has already agreed in principle to open up the PSTN
(Public Switch Telecom Network) and expressions of interest would be sought
from the private companies by August this year.

BTRC has already finalised the details in this connection and a meeting
between the posts and telecommunications minister and the BTRC chairman and
the commissioners would pave the way for final approval today (Tuesday).

Sources said several companies including multinationals have shown their
interest to invest in the PSTN sector. The WorldTel, a US-based company,
which got the approval to lay lines for 300,000 phones and had later come
under the scrutiny of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, would also be allowed to
invest in the sector.

BTRC had earlier formed a committee headed by FQM Faruq, vice-chairman of
the Commission, to investigate the WorldTel project and send recommendations
on the fate of its project.

Talking to the FE recently, Chairman of the BTRC Syed Marghub Morshed said
that, to increase the poor tele-density in the country, private sector
investment in the PSTN sector is now the only option.

He said the commission has finished primary work in this regard and
expression of interest would be sought from the companies as early as August
this year. The allowing of the private sector will end the monopoly of the
Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) in the land phone sector in
the country.

Sources, however, said that there is a potential stumbling block to the
private sector participation in the land phone sector. Sources said that
land phone investors have sought formal opening of the international gateway
to all the operators.

Till now, only BTTB can legally transfer voice while other operators have to
use BTTB's channel to transfer calls. Besides, the telecom guidelines 1998
kept the International Gateway exclusively for BTTB till 2010.

Private investors willing to invest in the sector have said if the
International Gateway is not opened to all, it's no use investing in
the local land phone backbone because a significant amount of income is
generated from the ISD calls and settlement with foreign operators.

BTRC sources said allowing the private sector in land phone has become a
necessity as Bangladesh has Asia's second lowest tele-density, just above
the war-torn Afghanistan.

( received from Bangla ICT list <bangla_ict@yahoogroups.com> )