"The government can earn 125 percent more revenue by 2008 through opening up the international telecommunication gateway to all operators," according to the study conducted by economics consultancy CRA International and law firm Gilbert + Tobin for the GSM Association.

Boosting the capacity of the existing international gateway, which is run by Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board, and opening the market up to other companies, are particularly urgent, the study suggested.

The report said the existing monopoly limits communications between Bangladesh's businesses and their international customers, and between Bangladesh's consumers and their relatives and friends in other countries.

Bangladesh needs to strengthen its telecommunications regulator so that it can allocate spectrum more efficiently and issue licences for 3G mobile services before the third-quarter of 2008, the report recommended.

"There is extensive evidence that the widespread use of mobile phones can boost economic growth, raise living standards and reduce poverty," said Tom Phillips, chief government and regulatory affairs officer of the GSM Association (GSMA).

Another priority identified by the study is to give adequate fund and budget authority to Bangladesh's telecoms watchdog BTRC to enable it to act independently and acquire and retain appropriate expertise, particularly in the vital areas of spectrum management and licence enforcement.

The study found that the current licensing regime allocates spectrum in an inefficient way and some of the country's mobile phone operators don't have sufficient spectrum to enable them to provide services for more Bangladeshis.

The authors of the report recommend that Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) conduct an immediate strategic spectrum review and then allocate spectrum in the internationally harmonised 2100Mhz band for 3G mobile services before the third quarter of 2008.

This spectrum should be licensed in a way that reflects its economic value and ensures it is efficiently used, the study suggested.

Ricardo Tavares, senior vice president of GSMA, Jeanine Vos, regulatory manager of GSMA UK, and Rob Nicholls, a consultant of Gilbert & Tobin, were present at a press conference organised in Dhaka yesterday to mark the release of the study.

The GSMA is the global trade association representing more than 700 GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) mobile phone operators across 218 countries and territories of the world. In addition, more than 200 manufacturers and suppliers support the association's initiatives as key partners.

The association's members serve more than two billion customers - 82% of the world's mobile phone users.