Mobile operators rearranging frequencies

Four mobile operators last night started rearranging their frequencies in 1,800 band, which will improve their services, reducing call drops and making their networks more efficient.
The telecom regulator is leading the countrywide frequency rearrangement activities of Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi and Airtel.
Zia Ahmed, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), the regulator, said the allocation of valuable frequency in 1,800 band was done in a scattered manner in the past.
But after the rearrangement, a total of 15.6 Mhz frequency worth more than Tk 2,000 crore will be saved, which will be sold during 3G auction, he said.
The rearrangement process has been initiated with the consent of all the operators, Ahmed added.
The operators now will be able to use their frequency more efficiently and economically, he said.
After the rearrangement process, the quality of services of the mobile operators will be better than before with reduced call drops and more efficient network, said Abu Saeed Khan, secretary general of Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB).
Explaining the matter, Khan said, if you have three pieces of land in different places, you will have to make more boundaries to separate your lands from others. But when all the lands become a single piece, you will need fewer boundaries, leading to an increased area of your land.
Different operators use frequencies using different boundary lines called guard bands, Khan said. But after the rearrangement, the operators will need lesser guard bands that are unused parts of spectrum between bands for preventing interference.
Another analyst said, if the frequency has more guard bands (or boundary lines), the operators will have to use more filters to prevent interference, leading to a fall in quality of services.
Besides, frequency allocation was done in a scattered manner in the past. But now the frequency arrangement will be more disciplined, he said.
Tanveer Mohammad, chief technology officer of Grameenphone, said the operators still have the same frequency, but now it has been reallocated in a single place.
Their services will be better now, he said.
An official of the spectrum division of the BTRC said, responding to the operators' plea, the regulator initiated the arrangement with the help of the operators and the AMTOB.
It took more than six months to start the process, he said.
During the rearrangement process, customers may face problems in accessing networks, said a BTRC statement.