Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 5 Num 285 Wed. March 16, 2005  
   
Front Page


First pvt land phones start in Ctg Mar 20


Bay Phones, a joint venture between US firm Westec.com Inc and local Westec Limited, will launch the country's first private fixed phone on March 20.

"We have successfully completed the test run and are now ready to offer phones to subscribers in the country's southeast zone," MA Hashem, chairman and chief executive officer of the Westec Limited told The Daily Star in an interview.

He said Post and Telecomm-unication Minister Aminul Haq will inaugurate the network at a function in Dhaka, which will be also attended by State minister for Finance Shah Md Abul Hussain and US Ambassador Harry K Thomas as special guest and guest of honour.

"We will hold a separate launching ceremony in Chittagong on March 22," Hashem added.

Bay Phones has recently signed an interconnection agreement with the state-owned Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB). "We are in talks with cell phone operators to have interconnectivity with them," he said.

"To have interconnection with private mobile operators may take a month or two," he added.

The company will invest approximately Tk 100 crore in 2005 to roll out its network.

"The current network capacity will be one lakh telephones, mostly based on a wireless local loop (WLL)," said the Bay Phones chief, adding that the company has plans to introduce some wired phones as well.

WLL is a wireless technology that enables phones to operate within a short range.

Subscription fees for WLL connection will be Tk 15,000 and Tk 9,500 for a wired one, he added.

"We shall announce the tariff plan during our launching," he added.

Bay Phones would be the first operator to launch fixed phones under the new licensing criteria of the Bangladesh Telecommunica-tions Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

The telecom regulator BTRC has segmented the country into five zones central zone, southeast zone, northeast zone, southwest zone and northwest zone -- and awarded licenses for four zones except the central zone.

The southeast zone consists of the greater Chittagong division, including Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Rangamati, Hathazari, Fotikchori, Potia, Feni, Noakhali, Laxmipur, Chadpur, Comilla and Brahm-anbaria.