Govt to control VoIP, telecom sector
The government is contemplating major amendment to Bangladesh Telecom Act, 2001 with a view to enhancing the government''s influence on the telecom sector, which was reduced after the introduction of Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in the year 2002.
The national telecommunications policy promulgated in 1998 termed the Telecom Regulatory Commission as the guardian of the telecom sector with the gradual diminishing of the service provider''s role of the government.
Accordingly, the Telecom Act, 2001 empowered the BTRC as an independent and autonomous body having the power of formulating licensing policy for different service providers of the telecom service and also fixing the tariff with the approval of the government.
The amendment proposals, which are now under examination of the telecom ministry, if incorporated in the Telecom Act, 2001 would reduce the BTRC''s guardian role and would turn it into an wing of the telecom ministry, according to a source. The government wants to take up licensing policy for different service providers of the telecom sector and fix up the tariff structure. The BTRC would become mere a license issuing organization and will follow the government''s guideline, the source said.
The move will virtually turn the government as regulator, which according to the private operators is a major departure from the objectives of the national telecommunications policy 1998. The telecommunications policy emphasized an independent regulatory body to ensure level playing field for of all operators. The government is also one of the operators, as it owns Submarine Cable Company, Bangladesh Telecom Company Ltd (BTCL) and the TeleTalk
The proposed amendment proposals would also deal with the criteria that would help implement opening of much-talked about VoIP (voice of internet protocol) business. Currently four International Gateway (IGW) firms-Mir Telecom, Bangla Track, Novotel and the BTCL - have the BTRC licenses for VoIP operations. They are terminating around 45 million calls from abroad per day out of 55-60 million calls generated from abroad. A VoIP operator gets three cents for per call of which 51 per cent goes to the government exchequer, 15 per cent goes to the service
provider at the end user level, 15 per cent goes to the Interconnection Exchange (ICX) and the rest goes to the VoIP operator. The government is yet to explain what they mean by the opening of the VoIP. If the government wants to allow more VoIP operators it would be disaster as seen by the existing operator. According to them, the current market size of the VoIP is below the existing capacity of the four IGWS and the creation of additional capacity would likely to bring economic disaster for all.
The creation of an independent Appellate Tribunal seeking redress from the decision of the BTRC would also be considered in the proposed amendments, the source added.
Almost all the private operators are very much scared about the proposed amendment move. They said that the government as an operator couldn''t play role of the regulator, which will create conflict of interest.
The government is contemplating major amendment to Bangladesh Telecom Act, 2001 with a view to enhancing the government''s influence on the telecom sector, which was reduced after the introduction of Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in the year 2002.
The national telecommunications policy promulgated in 1998 termed the Telecom Regulatory Commission as the guardian of the telecom sector with the gradual diminishing of the service provider''s role of the government.
Accordingly, the Telecom Act, 2001 empowered the BTRC as an independent and autonomous body having the power of formulating licensing policy for different service providers of the telecom service and also fixing the tariff with the approval of the government.
The amendment proposals, which are now under examination of the telecom ministry, if incorporated in the Telecom Act, 2001 would reduce the BTRC''s guardian role and would turn it into an wing of the telecom ministry, according to a source. The government wants to take up licensing policy for different service providers of the telecom sector and fix up the tariff structure. The BTRC would become mere a license issuing organization and will follow the government''s guideline, the source said.
The move will virtually turn the government as regulator, which according to the private operators is a major departure from the objectives of the national telecommunications policy 1998. The telecommunications policy emphasized an independent regulatory body to ensure level playing field for of all operators. The government is also one of the operators, as it owns Submarine Cable Company, Bangladesh Telecom Company Ltd (BTCL) and the TeleTalk
The proposed amendment proposals would also deal with the criteria that would help implement opening of much-talked about VoIP (voice of internet protocol) business. Currently four International Gateway (IGW) firms-Mir Telecom, Bangla Track, Novotel and the BTCL - have the BTRC licenses for VoIP operations. They are terminating around 45 million calls from abroad per day out of 55-60 million calls generated from abroad. A VoIP operator gets three cents for per call of which 51 per cent goes to the government exchequer, 15 per cent goes to the service
provider at the end user level, 15 per cent goes to the Interconnection Exchange (ICX) and the rest goes to the VoIP operator. The government is yet to explain what they mean by the opening of the VoIP. If the government wants to allow more VoIP operators it would be disaster as seen by the existing operator. According to them, the current market size of the VoIP is below the existing capacity of the four IGWS and the creation of additional capacity would likely to bring economic disaster for all.
The creation of an independent Appellate Tribunal seeking redress from the decision of the BTRC would also be considered in the proposed amendments, the source added.
Almost all the private operators are very much scared about the proposed amendment move. They said that the government as an operator couldn''t play role of the regulator, which will create conflict of interest.
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