The telecom regulator on Wednesday changed the 3G auction schedule for the third time by setting the auction date on September 8 following pressures from the mobile phone operators.
The 3G auction was scheduled for September 2 after being delayed twice — first from June 24 and later from July 31 — as some issues like 2G VAT, SIM tax and other tax related issues with the mobile operators remain unresolved.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission in a notice on the day said the new deadline for 3G auction application submission would be August 12 and earnest money submission date would be August 26.
The mobile operators on several occasions said if the government did not settle the tax disputes according to their demand they would not take part in the auction which is crucial for the government ahead of the next national elections in terms of revenue earning.
The BTRC will award three licences to three out of five mobile phone companies operating in the country and one to a foreign firm. Another local operator, the state-run Teletalk, has already got the 3G licence by default.
A total of 40 MHz of spectrum will be auctioned for eight blocks where a single bidder can bid for maximum two blocks.
The minimum allocation for a spectrum block is 5 MHz with base price of $20 million for each MHz.
-With New Age input
