Telcos may face music for poor services: BTRC

Failure to hold the planned spectrum auction involving Tk 3,000 crore will not create a problem for the government, but operators could face the music for poor quality of services, the telecom regulator said.

Sunil Kanti Boss, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, said the mobile phone operators need more spectrum, and if the leading operators do not take part in the upcoming spectrum auctions, they cannot offer quality services.

"If operators fail to ensure quality services, they will be penalised for it," the BTRC chairman said at a press conference at his office yesterday, on the eve of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2015.

International Telecommunication Union observed the day across the globe yesterday, but in Bangladesh, the day will be observed today as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina could not give time for the event, Bose said.

The government will organise a programme today to observe the day. Hasina is expected to inaugurate the programme at Bangabandhu Interna-tional Conference Centre in Dhaka.

The BTRC is going to hold two separate auctions for 10.6 MHz in the 1,800 band and for 15 MHz in the 2,100 band, but four leading operators are unwilling to take part in the auctions, saying some unresolved issues need to be addressed first.

The BTRC chairman said, as the mobile operators have a huge subscriber base within the same limited spectrum, their service quality is falling. 

In response to a query, the BTRC chairman said more than 80 percent of internet data used in Bangladesh is for social networking site Facebook.

On mobile number portability (MNP), Bose said the MNP guideline has been sent to the ministry for approval.