The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has recently sent a draft amendment to the Broadband Wireless Access Services guideline to the telecommunications ministry to provide the fixed internet service providers with mobile
wireless internet service (WiMAX) licence.According to the existing BWA guideline the ISP licence holders, operating within 2.3, 2.5, 3.5, 5.2, 5.4 GHz, are not allowed to provide with mobile broadband wireless access services, said BTRC officials.
If any existing ISP, whether forming a partnership or bidding alone, wins the BWA licence, its ISP licence including the assigned frequency will be cancelled. Besides, the BWA licensees cannot hold additional ISP licence.
‘To remove these barriers the BTRC will amend the clauses which will enable the ISP operators to apply for BWA licence. We have sent the draft to posts and telecommunications ministry for approval,’ a senior BTRC official told New Age.
The recent move to amend the BWA guideline came after Bangladesh Internet Exchange Limited, a partner of the wireless internet service provider Ollo, applied for a BWA licence last month, said the BTRC officials.
The BTRC was set to provide four licences in 2008 but only two companies, Banglalion Communications and Augere Wireless Broadband Bangladesh, finally fulfilled all the requirements to get the licence.
The BIEL participated in the WiMAX permit auction by the BTRC on September 24, 2008. The company, however, remained unsuccessful to get the licence and withdraw itself from the process.
The New Generation Graphics Ltd and the BIEL is providing the internet service through a partnership, branded as Ollo, for the last one and a half years which draws controversy.
NGGL managing director Sergey Topalov recently at a news briefing had admitted that Ollo was importing LTE equipments without having the licence.
‘But we are not using them currently and will not do so without proper permits ever,’ he had said.
At the same briefing BIEL managing director Yulia Akstyutina had said Ollo was yet to receive the government permit for using the brand name and the logo.
-With New Age input
