The telecom regulator will introduce guidelines to set the spectrum price per mega hertz (MHz) for telecom, internet and other operators.
However, spectrum-based service providers oppose such a change, as they now pay only the yearly spectrum fees.
Under the new move, the regulator will impose new prices on per MHz spectrum as an allocation fee, which the commission earlier did not charge. In other words, the operators will be charged for how much spectrum they own, along with the yearly fees.
The telecom operators will pay the new spectrum prices from next year when they will renew their licences, or a unified licensing regime will be introduced.
Under the unified licensing regime, the operators will be able to provide multiple services, such as mobile, landline and internet, with one licence.
Telecom operators, internet service providers, and radio and television operators are the major users of spectrum, which is important in wireless communications and is mathematically related to wavelength. The amount of use depends on the number of customers.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has already taken a move to reorganise spectrum management.
“We can’t provide free spectrum anymore,” said Zia Ahmed, chairman of BTRC. In line with the new guidelines, the operators will have to pay for per MHz spectrum, he added.
The guidelines will be finalised soon after consulting the operators.
“We are going to impose an allocation fee, as some operators are not using spectrum even after having the allocation for a long time,” Ahmed said.
The telecom regulator, during the last caretaker government’s regime, allocated 17.5 MHz more spectrum to the top three mobile operators at a cost of Tk 80 crore per MHz.
However, the operators oppose the hefty spectrum pricing as it pushes service prices up.
“The government should not impose any price on spectrum,” said Aktaruzzaman Manju, president of Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh.
He said the government does not buy spectrum from anyone. “So why should the government charge for it?”
By utilising lesser spectrum, Bangladesh’s telecom and internet service providers have been able to serve many.
In Bangladesh, more than 6.1 crore customers use mobile phones, while over 40 lakh enjoy internet access.
“Spectrum is a national resource. The government should appreciate the telecom operators for their services to the mass, rather than charging more,” said Zakiul Islam, president of Association of Mobile Telephone Operators, Bangladesh.
