Telenor chief spurs telecom regulator
Telenor President Jon Fredrik Baksaas yesterday urged the telecom regulator in Bangladesh to expedite the process of introducing 3G network, as at least half the local telecom market is now ready for the third generation technology.
Speaking at a press meet in the capital, he said, “The introduction of 3G is something we are quite well prepared for both in terms of manpower and investment.
“It is up to the government to accelerate the 3G licensing process so that we can move forward with the new services in the near future.”
Telenor is the majority shareholder in Grameenphone, the country’s largest mobile operator.
Baksaas, also chief executive officer of the Norway-based company, stressed the need for an investment-friendly regulatory framework.
He also said it is important that the telecom operators participate in the upcoming licence renewal process.
“Back during the 1990s, the government here issued the licences with a very negligible rate of fees, and the telecom industry in the following years experienced a boom in its penetration and coverage”, he continued.
“Keeping that in mind, the regulator should come to negotiate with the operators regarding the licence renewal and in offering the 3G spectrum solutions.
“Looking into Bangladesh, this country has a huge investment potential but the platform for investment also needs to be understood,” Baksaas said.
“Given the huge investment that has already been done, licence renewal is something the international investors are looking forward to and it must also be made to ensure rapid 3G roll-out.”
The Telenor chief, however, sees no possibility of the latest 4G technology being introduced here anytime soon.
“Technology is an evolutionary process. So, once you have a rich 2G platform, you can move forward to 3G, and once you have a rich 3G platform, you can move forward to 4G.
“Surely, in Bangladesh, we cannot leapfrog to 4G from 3G technology because it requires far too long time until the broad market is ready for 4G. Make 3G an enriched platform with wide and deep services with good coverage in both rural and city areas,” he said.
Highlighting further growth areas for the telecom operators, Baksaas pointed to the need for greater internet penetration as access to broadband in the country is fairly low.
“The introduction of 3G would also help this cause by facilitating multidimensional benefits in terms of accessing information, education, health and financing facilities,” he said.
Oddvar Hesjedal, CEO of Grameenphone, said, “Although, the 3G technology would be introduced in Bangladesh at a later time, we would offer the latest version and services at a low price to assure the greater accessibility and affordability of the common people.”
The world’s leading mobile operator, Telenor now operates in 11 countries with 195 million subscribers. Its subsidiary Grameenphone has around 44 percent share of the local telecom subscriber base.
