Fixed telephone operator RanksTel has recently applied to the telecom ministry for countrywide network mobility which, if approved, will allow the company to operate like a CDMA mobile phone operator without mobile service licence. RanksTel submitted the application to posts and telecommunications minister Shahara Khatun in July this year where the company said considering the need of the customers the government should allow it countrywide mobility.
The telecom ministry in the same month forwarded the application to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission for its opinion on the matter.
RanksTel, a public-switched telecom network operator, started its commercial operation in 2005.
The BTRC in May 2010 cancelled its licence and take back the allocated frequency due to allegations of illegal use of voice over internet protocol.
RanksTel got its licence and frequency back on July 14, 2011 and its switch-room was opened on 17 July. 2012.
The company in its application to the telecom ministry, however, said that such approval would not have any impact on the mobile phone operators.
BTRC officials said on previous occasion the company applied to the BTRC on the same ground but got rejected as according to the licence condition RanksTel was supposed to provide fixed telephony service.
‘If we allow RanksTel, the company will enjoy the 2G mobile phone operator facility in the CDMA network. Such permission requires change in the related laws which can allow PSTN operators’ mobility,’ a highly placed BTRC official told New Age recently when asked about the issue.
He said mobility was the only difference between the mobile phone operators and fixed telephone service operators.
‘The mobility is costly as the mobile phone operators pay huge amount of money for the licence and they have the revenue sharing obligation. But PSTN operators took the licence by paying only Tk 50,000,’ he said.
Another BTRC official from the legal and licensing department said if such approval was given on the ground of service approval, then RanksTel would not have to pay any amount to the BTRC.
‘If you change the PSTN guideline and give the permission under that, then all PSTN operators can enjoy the facility, which should be lawful way of attending such application,’ he said.
Asked about the issue RanksTel’s chief operating officer Abul Kalam Shamsuddin admitted that the company had applied for such facilities to the ministry.
‘We think it’s a valid demand as it is very difficult for us to serve our customers with such limited mobility,’ he said.
He said in the international practice such facility was given to PSTN operators.
‘For example I can say PSTN operators in Indonesia enjoy such mobility. I don’t believe this will hamper the mobile operators. The government can also allow us regional mobility, if not allowed countrywide,’ he said.
Asked about the issue Association of Mobile Telephone Operators of Bangladesh’s secretary general TIM
Nurul Kabir said such issues should be dealt with according to the law.
‘If anyone applies for such facility, I hope, the government and the BTRC should take decision as per the existing law to protect the interest of the mobile phone industry,’ he said.
-With New Age input
