The government will prepare tower business in telecom sector considering customer interest as well as environmental concern, state minister for posts and telecommunication Tarana Halim said.
The minister was addressing a seminar as chief guest on ‘The Prospect of Tower Business in Bangladesh’, organized by a Telecom Reporters Network, Bangladesh (TRNB) in a local hotel, on Thursday, says a press release.
“Uncontrolled tower of telecom harm environment…….we will consider level playing field to allow new player for tower business but up gradation of network would also be considered during policy in this regard,” she said.
The state minister said upcoming policy in tower business would ensure foreign direct investment.
“We would create competitiveness in tower business…monopoly business would be discouraged through ensuring level playing field in the sector,” Tarana said.
She said the government would also consider ensuring lower tower sharing cost so that the consumers would get benefit on it.
Attended at the seminar, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) chairman Shahjahan Mahmood said the BTRC encouraged investment in telecom sector.
He said the BTRC would provide tower sharing licenses considering to create open market.
“A total of 36,000 mobile tower so far installed whereas it would require only 24,000 towers due to lack of tower sharing. But the quality of services is too poor,” he informed.
He said tower would be increased after introduction of 4G.
He expressed his dissatisfaction over installation of five tower at BARDEM due to lack of sharing.
The BTRC chairman said they would formulate new company to run tower sharing. Of the company, BTRC would allow 51 percent investment from local sources and rest from foreign direct investment.
Posts and telecommunications additional sectary Shawkat Mostafa said the government would formulate tower sharing license guideline with consent of shareholders.
GP corporate affairs officer Mahmud Hossain said the qualified firm should be allowed to get license for tower sharing business. The existing mobile phone operators tower also be considered in the guideline, he said.
Robi‘s executive vice president Shahed Alam the tower sharing company should be considered as current cell phone market. The qualified and experienced company should be considered in the business, he opined.
BTRC’s system and services division director general Amdad-ul-Bari said only 18 percent tower shared each other mobile operators.
Amrish Kacker, Partner at Analysys Mason, Association of Mobile Telecom Operator Association of Bangladesh (AMTOB) secretary general T I M Nurul Kabir, Banglalink senior director of GR and Regulation Tymur Rahman, Fiber@home managing director Moinul Huq Siddique attended at the seminar.
TRNB president Rashed Mehdi moderated the seminar while it’s general secretary Shamim Ahmed presented the keynote.
