Govt to revise telco licence renewal guideline
The government yesterday agreed to revise the draft 2G mobile phone renewal guideline and keep spectrum fees at rational level.
The posts and telecommunication ministry held a meeting with four mobile operators: Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi and Citycell. At the meeting, all issues except finance have been finalised.
Telecoms Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju told reporters that the guideline drafted by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission would be revised.
“The radio spectrum price as well as other charges would be determined after another meeting with the finance ministry,” he said. “Fees will be reconsidered and kept at rational level.”
Telecoms Secretary Sunil Kanti Bose, chief executives of the four mobile operators and BTRC representatives were present at the meeting.
The operators, business groups, international agencies, multilateral donor agencies and think-tanks have pressed the government to revise the renewal guideline and reduce renewal charges for growth of the telecoms sector. BTRC submitted the draft guideline to the ministry in 2010.
Welcoming the initiative of the ministry, industry people said it was a fruitful meeting and the government approach was positive and realistic.
It is the beginning of consultations, said a top official of a mobile operator. All operators have nearly similar issues to discuss and sort out, he said.
The ministry did not discuss spectrum prices in detail, which will be finalised after a meeting with the finance ministry, an official said.
According to the draft guideline, four mobile operators will have to pay a total of Tk 12,118 crore in spectrum fees. Grameenphone will have to pay the highest -- Tk 5,504 crore, Banglalink Tk 2,994 crore, Robi Tk 3,000 crore and Citycell Tk 620 crore, although their renewable radio spectrum volumes are not much different.
The operators will have to pay varying amounts for each megahertz of radio spectrum because of an 'unjustified' utilisation factor in the draft, said an official of a telecom operator, asking not to be named. “The ministry said it will consider the matter,” the official said.
An official of the telecoms ministry said his ministry would propose that the 1.5 percent social obligation fund should be reduced to 0.5 percent.
Officials present at the meeting said all non-licensing issues such as 30 percent IPO, mobile number portability, employment regulation and value-added services would be taken out of the licence document.
The language of the licence document would be made precise, they said.
The issues that are not related to the licensing document but applicable to all operators might be resolved later.
The operators will get an opportunity to deposit the spectrum charges in installments rather than in a single payment.
The government will finalise the licence guideline by May 31 and the operators would get three more months to apply for renewal. By November 2011, the licensing process will have to be completed.
Sunil Kanti Bose, telecoms secretary, said the ministry has analysed all feedback from stakeholders and the government wants to complete the process in a “conscientious and transparent way”.
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