Telecom company board meets today

The board of the newly formed Bangladesh Telecom Company Ltd (BTCL), the formerly BTTB, sits today for the first time to discuss ways to breathe life into the struggling state-run landline operator.
The meeting will also discuss how assets of BTTB (Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board) will be handed over to BTCL.
The nine-member board with Telecoms Secretary Iqbal Mahmud as its chairman will also discuss how it will retain its customers.
"Primarily, BTTB's estimated asset is worth Tk15, 000crore," said a high official of BTTB.
The meeting of the recently formed Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd (BSCCL) will also be held today at BTTB headquarters in Dhaka. The submarine cable company has been valued at Tk 1,000crore.
Sources said the government appointed some local experts and business representatives as board members of the two companies.
Talking to The Daily Star, a member of newly formed BTCL board said as there is no allocation for BTTB in the new budget, BTCL will have to run on its own income.
BTTB, which once was the sole service provider for land phone in the country, has been facing stiff competition since private landline operators started operations in 2005.
According to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) the total number of landline subscribers was 12.47 lakh as of May 2008. Of which 8.7 lakh were BTTB customers compared to 11lakh last year.