Bangla Phone Bags NTTN Nod, Network Expansion Nears

The government has approved the issuance of a Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN) license to Bangla Phone Limited. With this, the company becomes the seventh NTTN operator, marking a breakthrough after a prolonged period of stagnation in the sector.

The approval was communicated in a letter issued on Thursday, 13 May, by the Telecom Wing of the Posts and Telecommunications Division under the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology.

According to the letter, the license was granted in favor of Bangla Phone Limited following the decision of the 295th Commission Meeting of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and based on the Commission’s recommendation. However, all conditions and provisions set by the Commission will be applicable in this regard.

The letter, signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Mohammad Shahriar and issued on 13 May, also directed the concerned authorities to take necessary actions.

Earlier, in September 2018, BTRC revoked Bangla Phone Limited’s Nationwide ISP license due to violations of licensing conditions, failure to clear outstanding dues, and non-compliance with directives regarding NTTN service provision. The company subsequently faced further complications in its operations, and its IGW (International Gateway) license was also cancelled. Later, in October 2024, the company cleared all outstanding dues, administrative penalties, and interest. On 30 September 2024, a fresh application was submitted through BTRC’s LIMS (Licence Issuance and Management System) portal. Subsequently, on 25 May 2025, BTRC sent a letter to the Posts and Telecommunications Division recommending the issuance of the license.

It is noteworthy that Bangla Phone first formally applied for an NTTN license in June 2011. Despite not receiving the license at that time, the company continued operating in the NTTN business using ‘overhead cable’ infrastructure under a BTRC permit. The company’s principal entrepreneur, expatriate businessman Amjad Khan, had also filed a court case in 2016 seeking the license but was unsuccessful.

Currently, NTTN services in Bangladesh are being provided by Fiber@Home, Summit Communications, Bahwan Limited, BTCL, Bangladesh Railway, and Power Grid Company of Bangladesh.

DBTech/SI/EK/OR