BTRC suspends MNP auction

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) today suspended its much-awaited auction for mobile number portability (MNP) licence which was scheduled to be held on September 28 at a hotel in Dhaka.

Once operational, the MNP scheme will allow mobile phone subscribers to switch from one operator to another without having to change their existing numbers.

The service is already available in India and Pakistan, along with many Western countries.

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In a notice published this evening on its official website, BTRC said it has decided to suspend the overall proceedings of MNP license auction for the time being.

“Some procedures are yet to be completed which is unavoidable,” said Md Sarwar Alam, spokesperson of BTRC.

The telecom regulator will fix a new date for the auction within a short time accordingly, he said.

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Meanwhile, BTRC on September selected five companies, which are joint ventures with foreign firms, for the auction.