Bangladesh to hold beauty contest for 3G licences

The Bangladesh telecommunications ministry has decided not to award 3G spectrum licences via auction but via a 'beauty contest'. The regulator has reserved 40 MHz of spectrum to be allocated to four operators, The Daily Star reports citing telecommunications minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju. Operator Banglalink welcomed the announcement while Grameenphone expressed doubts about the transparency of the method. The regulator is still finalising guidelines for 3G and has not yet decided whether state-owned Teletalk will get a licence without participating in the beauty contest.