Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC):to renew telcos' licences August 7

BANGLADESH NEWS

After a stand-off with the BTRC for more than eight months, four mobile phone operators - Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi and Citycell - will get their 2G licences renewed on Tuesday for the next 15 years.

Zia Ahmed, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), said they have sent letters to the operators on Thursday asking them to send their representatives to collect the licences.

The telecom regulator made the move upon receiving a letter from the telecommunications ministry on Wednesday. The letter asked the BTRC to issue the licences to the operators within a week and sign a tripartite agreement with the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and the operators.

Following the latest development, the mobile phone operators on Thursday expressed their gratitude to the regulator and ministry officials concerned.

The validity of the four operators’ licences ended on November 10 last year; but disagreement between the regulator and the operators over determining the renewal fees and collection of valued added tax (VAT) delayed the licence renewal process.

The four operators will pay around Tk 9,200 crore including VAT as their licence renewal fees. They paid 49 percent of the amount in November last year as the first instalment.

The second instalment (29 percent) was due by August 1, but the BTRC has extended the deadline to August 31 as per the recommendations made by the ministry, mentioned Zia.

The operators will now be able to deposit the second instalment within the extended deadline without paying any late fee.

The third instalment, however, is payable within December.