According to the arrangement, every cable operator and internet service provider will pay five thousand Taka as registration fee by January 5 to continue using Desco's poles.

"We have come to an agreement with Desco's managing director that by January 5 all the cable operators and internet service providers will register with Desco," said Parvez Anwar, president of COAB.

The decision was taken on December 30 after Desco started to cut off cables belonging to ISPs and cable operators that were hanging from Desco's poles in Gulshan, Baridhara, Banani and Uttara areas.

The move was initiated in a bid to organise Desco's tangled cable lines as part of the Dhaka Beautification Project. The drastic measure seriously affected cable subscribers and businesses which were dependent on the internet as connections got snapped.

"Now we will be able to reconnect the lines and Desco has promised not to cut off cables until January 5. However, we have to organise the cables ourselves," said Anwar.

To get permission from the Desco to use the poles, the cable operators will have to submit their Bangladesh Television (BTV) license and COAB's certificate. The internet service providers on the other hand will need to submit their Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) license.

"There are many cable operators and internet service providers who are doing business without a license and it is difficult to trace these operators. This measure will help us organise the business and become more professional," said Parvez Anwar.

Apart from cable operators and ISPs, the Telephone & Telegraph Board and Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) also use Desco's poles which incidentally have facilities for its lines only.

Three to four 11kv electric cables are installed on top of the poles and four insulated cables are at the second level below the 11kv lines.

There are no provisions to accommodate telephone, internet, satellite TV cables and DCC electric lines.

After the registration process, Desco will instruct the cable operators and internet service providers where and how to organise the cables but utility service providers have to organise their cables themselves.

"Some COAB members have already taken permission from Desco and have started organising their cables. COAB will provide PVC lock for organising cables to registered operators," said Parvez.