Mobile operators yesterday said unfriendly telecom regulations will restrict them to go public.
Senior officials of leading mobile operators said their plan to be listed on the stockmarket will be uncertain, if their growth is hindered due to unfriendly telecommunication rules.
“Nobody will buy our shares if we continue to incur losses,” said Robi CEO Michael Kuehner at a press conference at Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka.
Only Grameenphone is currently listed on the stockmarket.
The Robi CEO said the operators and the government have jointly created a success story for Bangladesh and its people due to the development of the telecommunication sector.
“We rolled out world-class infrastructure. We also offer the lowest tariff in the world.”
The Robi CEO also said the mobile operators have created more than one million jobs and contributed over 10 percent to the national budget, helping Bangladesh continuously achieve about 6 percent economic growth annually.
“We are now investing in new technology and high broadband connection. In these circumstances, the telecom regulations will not help us,” said Kuehner.
Mahfuzur Rahman, acting CEO of Citycell, said the government should set rational fees to help the operators stay in business and continue the existing services.
Grameenphone Chief Executive Oddvar Hesjedal said Bangladesh had to offer free licence 14 years ago, as no foreign investors were interested in the market. “That was a good decision. But if now the government realises high fees then the society will lose further development. The country will lose more than it gets.”
The operators also urged the telecom regulator to leave issues such as initial public offering or employment generation to the authorities concerned to make the guidelines easily understandable and focused.
They also expressed concern about clauses that empower the authorities to make changes to the guidelines, which the operators say will make the investors nervous about future investment.
The operators also called for a level-playing field, and that they should not be burdened with high fees.
Grameenphone is the leading mobile operator in the country with over 3 crore subscribers, followed by Banglalink with 1.9 crore clients, Robi 1.236 crore and Citycell with 18.11 lakh users.
