The country’s telecom regulator has decided to formulate guidelines for direct-to-home service, a television channel distribution technology, as the two DTH licensees cannot start their operations due to lack of relevant rules. The DTH is a digital satellite television distribution service which is done directly to end users using wireless technology, eliminating the need for any cable infrastructure.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission officials said the commission decision came last week to formulate an eight-member committee for the job.
The companies will be able to start their commercial operations after the guideline is finalised as the information ministry has given the licence without having relevant rules in place, they said.
‘The committee will prepare a guideline under which the DTH operators will run their business,’ a BTRC official told New Age.
He said the committee would prepare the guideline in line with the government plan to launch the country’s own satellite.
‘As we have recently purchased the orbital slot for our own satellite Bangabandhu 1, the committee have to prepare the guideline keeping that in mind as DTH is a satellite-based service,’ the official said.
He said the guideline would also include the business and technological aspects of the DTH service.
‘It will include spectrum assignment and fees, revenue sharing, inter-operator connecting method, and distribution method,’ the official said.
He said the committee, however, was not given any timeframe for the task.
Beximco Communications Limited, a joint venture of Beximco Group and Russia-based GS group, and Media Buyer last year received the licence from the government for the DTH operations.
-With New Age input
