Licences for pvt land phones in Dhaka by Jul 15
Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is set to finally award licences to private land phone operators in the much-coveted Dhaka metropolitan zone by July 15.The BTRC is also considering allowing mobile phone services in three districts in Chittagong Hill Tracts, an area that has been long restricted for telecommunication. "We have already talked to the stockholders of PSTN [Public Switched Telephone Network] operators and informed them of the conditions for licence conversion for Dhaka zone," BTRC Chairman Major General Manzurul Alam told journalists yesterday. Prospective operators will have to provide plans for expanding their services in Dhaka along with other cities proportionately. The total licence fee has been fixed at Tk 12 crore for Dhaka zone. If any operator already has licence for one or more zones, its earlier payment for licence will be deducted from the total fee. Although 15 operators have licences to operate PSTN services in the country, 10 are in operation. The BTRC chairman said operators that are either not in operation or have been detected for illegal activities will not be eligible for the licence conversion.
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