Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has decided to issue third-generation (3G) licences to five mobile operators that include state owned Teletalk, one foreign operator and three local private operators.
The telecom regulator will hold an open auction for 3G mobile communication services on September 3 this year aiming to earn US$ 1.50 billion as spectrum fees from prospective bidders, BTRC officials said.
"We’ve taken the decision to offer 3G licences to five companies through open bidding," BTRC Chairman Zia Ahmed was quoted by the Financial Express (FE), a local newspaper, as saying. "Fifty megahertz (MHz) spectrum has been reserved for 3G mobile phone services, and each operator will be given 10 MHz," he explained.
Base price of per MHz spectrum is US$ 30 million. That means each operator has to spend US$ 300 million for 10 MHz spectrum.
According the draft guideline, which was submitted to the telecom ministry on Wednesday, each licence holder has to spend BDT 1.5 billion as bank guarantee, BDT 100 million in licence fees and BDT 0.5 million as application fees.
Besides, an individual operator needs BDT 50 million in licence renewal fees with revenue sharing of 5.5 percent and social obligation fees one per cent.
Mr Ahmed also said the commission would seek EoI (Expression of Interest) by floating advertisements on May 7, and receiving of formal applications will start from July 12.
The final list will be announced on 19 July and the auction will take place on September 3 after taking the bidding money, he added.
The 3G will bring huge benefits to the users as it will provide better speed in Internet uses like those in computers or laptops. Anybody will be able to make video calls, download games and music through mobile phones.
The users have to have 3G-capable handset designed to surf the Internet, view pictures of the people they are talking to, watch movies and listen to music on their handsets.
BBN/SSR/AD-29Mar12-9:10 am (BST)
