BTRC Finalises 3G Licence Draft

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, Mar 24 The telecom regulator has finalised the draft of the guidelines for awarding 3G mobile service licence with options to upgrade to 4G and long-term evolution (LTE) without any extra fees.

In the draft, the regulator -- Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) -- has proposed to give four companies the licences including two from existing five private mobile operators and a new one.

Teletalk will get the licence as state-owned firm.

"The draft will be sent to the telecommunications ministry next week," BTRC chairman Zia Ahmed told in an interview on Thursday.

The work to award the licences would be complete by June or July after the ministry nods the guidelines, he added.

On Aug 9, a high-profile meeting of senior ministers and advisors chaired by the prime minister Sheikh Hasina took the decision to auction the wireless telecom spectrum to facilitate nationwide spread of 3G technology and wireless broadband services.

Ahmed had earlier said both local and foreign firms would be able to bid for the spectrum.

A top BTRC official has said 3G licence holders will be able to upgrade licences to 4G or LTE without any fee once the Cellular Mobile Phone Service (3G/4G/LTE) Regulatory Licence Guideline 2012 is cleared.

In the draft guidelines, the fee for every megahertz has been proposed at Tk 1.5 billion.

The floor price of 3G licence auction has been set Tk 15 billion.

The BTRC chairman said the estimated revenue from 3G licence is Tk 80 billion.

State-owned Teletalk, along with private operators Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi, Airtel and Citycell, is offering 2G services now.

The 3G technology will make mobile telephony much more efficient, with high-speed data transfer facilitating users to watch mobile TV, make video calls, using navigation equipment and access many other services.

LTE's data transfer speed is 80 percent higher than 3G.

Experts say 4G and LTE are same. Its download speed is 100 megabyte per second and upload speed is 50 Mb/S.

LTE's data pipe is built in such a way that users are able to do work of desktop computers with their mobile phones.

Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus among 12 Greatest Entrepreneurs

DHAKA NEWS

Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus has been named by Fortune magazine as one of the 12 Greatest Entrepreneurs of Our Time.

This list published in the magazine's latest issue places Prof Yunus among the band of highly exclusive individuals, all of whom are known throughout the world for their innovation, vision and ability to get things done.

"His desire to do something to help the local citizens led to a simple but powerful gesture: Yunus loaned $27 to destitute basket weavers in a village next to his university's campus," the magazine says.

"He could not believe the excitement the small amount of money caused. For people living on pennies a day, just a few dollars could transform their lives -- and in many cases it did. The gift was used to support and expand these very small businesses, and that helped many overcome their poverty.

"Much to Yunus' surprise, the basket weavers actually paid off the loans -- and on time too. He then moved from one village to the next, finding all sorts of entrepreneurial projects to fund," Fortune says.

While the bank could not eradicate poverty, it lifted many lives, the magazine adds.

"No less critical, Yunus' idea inspired countless numbers of young people to devote themselves to social causes all over the world."

The Fortune places the 12 individuals in the following order:

1) Steve Jobs of Apple, 2) Bill Gates of Microsoft, 3) Fred Smith of FedEx, 4) Jeff Bezos of Amazon, 5) Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google, 6) Howard Schultz of Starbucks, 7) Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, 8) John Mackey of Whole Foods, 9) Herb Kelleher of SouthWest Airlines, 10) Narayana Murthy of Infosys, 11) Sam Walton of Wal-mart Stores, 12) Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank.

Ten of these entrepreneurs are American and one is an Indian.

The list was prepared considering economic and social impact, world changing vision of the entrepreneurs, ability of the entrepreneurs to inspire and motivate their employees, their record of innovation and their actual results, Yunus Centre said in a statement yesterday.

The companies that they have created have benefited hundreds and thousands of people and other businesses, while creating employment for millions of people, according to the statement.

Prof Yunus was chosen by Wharton School of Business for PBS documentary, as one of the 25 Most Influential Business Persons of the Past 25 Years.

In 2006, Time magazine listed him under 60 Years of Asian Heroes as one of the top 12 business leaders.

In 2008, in an open online poll, Yunus was voted the second topmost intellectual person in the world on the list of Top 100 Public Intellectuals by Prospect Magazine of the UK and Foreign Policy of the United States.

He was also voted second in Prospect Magazine's 2008 global poll of the world's Top 100 Intellectuals.

The news has enthralled leading economists and businessmen.

Former caretaker government adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman said his inclusion in the top 12 is a recognition of his philosophy and social responsibility.

"We are very proud of his achievement in two senses; first, he has been recognised as a Bangalee and secondly, he is a great role model for us," he told .

Besides, the honour would uphold the image of the country, maintained Zillur. "We have many problems and weaknesses. It is an example of how creative thinking can take an individual to a new height amid many problems."

Syed Nasim Manzur, a leading entrepreneur, said, "Of course, it is a great inspiration for us. It is a great thing that Fortune magazine has honoured a Bangladeshi and a social entrepreneur."

He said the Banker to the Poor has shown that business can have a conscience. "Business does not mean that it should ignore society's welfare to be successful. Dr Yunus is an example for this."

"It will inspire us to do business with a social conscience and become successful," said Manzur, managing director of Apex Adelchi Footwear Ltd, one of the top footwear brands of the country.

Annisul Huq, a former president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said Prof Yunus had really established some good institutions. "There is no doubt about his entrepreneurial credibility."

No to Tipai dam if it affects Bangladesh Says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

BANGLADESH NEWS

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government will not allow India to construct the proposed Tipaimukh dam if it is proved that the dam will have negative impact on Bangladesh.

“We won't allow India to construct the dam if it adversely impacts on Bangladesh,” she told a rally organised by the Awami League-led 14-party grand alliance at Govt Madrasa ground in the city.

The government has already told India to include Bangladeshi representatives in a feasibility study group to look whether it would adversely affect Bangladesh, she mentioned. “India has assured us that they won't do anything harmful for Bangladesh.”

Listing the development activities of the present government, Hasina said her government has settled the border demarcation issue with India and also established the country's right over its maritime boundary with Myanmar through an international court. “If we're voted to power in the next elections, I can assure you we'll uphold our rights with India.”

She told her audience that those who can take money from the defeated forces of the Liberation War cannot believe in the country's independence and sovereignty.

She blasted the previous five-year BNP-Jamaat rule. “They gave people just terrorism through bombings, grenade attacks and killings.”

The BNP had killed a good number of AL leaders and activists by carrying out grenade attacks in different areas of the country during that period, she complained.

In the last three years, she claimed, the present government has curbed terrorism and militancy in the country.

“It was a shame for the whole nation when the prime minister and the finance minister of the then BNP-Jamaat alliance government whitened their black money,” maintained Hasina.

The premier said the BNP leader's sons had indulged in money laundering and it was proved in various courts in the USA, Singapore and Canada.

She noted that the country's economy now has got a strong footing as the government has put it back on the right track.

She also announced that there will be engineering and medical universities in Sylhet if her party wins the next general elections.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister laid the foundation stone of Shahjalal Fertiliser Factory in Fenchuganj, inaugurated the commissioning of the second unit of 90MW Fenchuganj power plant and 150MW power plant at Kumargaon.

She also inaugurated the Nagar Bhaban on the premises of Sylhet City Corporation, divisional passport and visa office, and laid the foundation stone of Sylhet Education Board.

She offered fateha at the mazars of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) and Hazrat Shah Paran (RA).

Dhaka set to Honour Foreign Friends Mar 27

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, Mar 24  After 40 years of Liberation War, Bangladesh is set to honour its foreign friends on Mar 27 for their contribution to the freedom struggle in 1971.

The cabinet has approved a list of 132 but the government finally invited 110 friends, out of which 75 have consented to either come themselves or send their representatives to receive the honour.

This was disclosed by foreign minister Dipu Moni and state minister for liberation war affairs M Tajul Islam at a press briefing at the foreign ministry on Saturday.

The invitees will receive gold-plated silver metallic plaques bearing replica of the national mausoleum and a citation on silk cloth.

"We had formed a national committee to identify the foreign personalities contributing to our Liberation War," Dipu Moni said.

"We had prepared a list of 560 people, and finally we short-listed 132 names," she said.

In the first phase, daughter-in-law of former Indian prime minister Sonia Gandhi received the Bangladesh Freedom Honour awarded to Indira Gandhi in July last year.

President Zillur Rahman and prime minister Sheikh Hasina will hand over the award to the recipients at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

"The committee has worked for the last two years and it is an ongoing process."

TRIPURA CHIEF MINISTER

When asked why Tripura chief minister is being honoured, the foreign minister said Manik Sarkar was a youth leader in 1971 and he contributed to the Liberation War.

Tajul Islam, also a freedom fighter, said he is the witness of the Manik's contribution to the Liberation War.

"He was junior to me by two to five years but when I went to Tripura, I saw him personally going door-to-door to seek help for freedom fighters," he said.

"Besides, it is we to decide whom we will give honour not the people of other country," he said referring to the ongoing agitation in Tripura as to why Manik Sarkar is being awarded in Bangladesh.

INVITEES

The foreign minister explained that out of the 132 in the list, they could manage to invite only 110 of them.

"Forty years have passed and many of them have changed their addresses and we found it difficult to locate them," she said.

PAKISTANIS IN THE LIST

When asked why there is no Pakistani in the list, the foreign minister said it is an 'ongoing process'.

"We acknowledge that there is a small group of Pakistanis which did raise voice for Bangladesh, and I am sure that after scrutiny they will be honoured," she said.

The liberation war affairs minister said the government has taken necessary steps to provide security to the invitees.

BNP Rails govt over Corruption

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, Mar 24 BNP has brought allegations of corruption against the government and said people want to know the details of assets of the ministers and the prime minister.

"They've looted resources of the country worth thousands of crores," party's acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told a programme on Saturday.

"Padma bridge project, quick rental power plants, distribution of VGF-VGD cards, civil aviation firms – corruption is everywhere," he said.

The World Bank has even suspended funding for the bridge project over corruption, he added.

Awami League has not fulfilled its electoral pledge to publish account details of properties of prime minister Sheikh Hasina and other ministers, though three years have passed since the party took charge, the BNP leader said.

"Now the people of the country want to know the asset details of the prime minister and her cabinet colleagues," he added.

In July last year, the government had made declaration of accounts a must by all ministers and those holding positions of similar rank. A guideline in this regard was also published.

Following the move, quite a few of the ministers and others of that rank submitted their tax returns to the National Board of Revenue (NBR), but the Cabinet Division is yet to make public how many of them actually submitted their property details.

'ISI MONEY CHARGE FALSE'

Alamgir also termed 'false' the prime minister's claim that BNP and its chief Khaleda Zia took money from Pakistani intelligence agency ISI before some general elections.

"The Pakistan foreign ministry said on Friday that news on the spy agency giving money to BNP is false, imaginary and baseless ... we have been saying that right since the beginning," he said.

British newspaper Daily Mail's online version on Mar 15 reported that former ISI chief Asad Durrani had told the Supreme Court that the intelligence agency had given BNP money before the 1991 election.

Prime minister Hasina has been flaying the opposition following the publication of news.

The Pakistan foreign ministry on Friday termed the news 'baseless'.

In a counter-charge, Alamgir referred to a report of The Economist and said Awami League took 'sacks full of money' from a 'neighbouring country' before the 2008 election.

"None has said that the news is false," he added.

Central Bank Goes Tough on Farm Loan

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, Mar 24 The central bank governor has warned of a tough action against the banks that will fail to reach farm loan disbursement targets.

"A target has been set for the banks to disburse agricultural loans and we hope that they'll be able fulfil the target. In case of failure, we will deduct money from their cash reserves and will distribute the amount among the farmers," central bank governor Atiur Rahman said on Saturday.

He was addressing a workshop titled 'Strategic Plan Development' organised by Microcredit Regulatory Authority at Savar Hope Centre.

According to law, the commercial banks have to keep 6 percent of their total deposit in cash with the central bank.

From the current fiscal (2011-2012), the country's central bank – Bangladesh Bank -- has asked all the private and foreign commercial banks to disburse at least 2.5 percent of their total loans as agriculture credit.

The latest statistics of the central bank shows that the disbursement of agricultural loans by the private banks has increased while the disbursement by the specialised and state-owned banks has decreased.

Bangladesh Bank had set a target for local and foreign banks of disbursing Tk 138 billion in agriculture loans for the current fiscal year.

The farm loan disbursement by the banks in July-February is Tk 76.88 billion.

Of this four state-owned commercial banks — Sonali, Rupali, Agrani and Janata and the two specialised state-owned banks -- Bangladesh Krishi Bank and Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank — disbursed Tk 51.83 billion.

On the other hand, 30 foreign and private banks disbursed Tk 25.05 billion.