The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has handed over a unified license in favor of Banglalink Digital Communication Limited, another private telecom company after mobile operators Teletalk, Grameenphone and Robi. Erik Aas, the chief executive officer of the operator, received the license from the chairman of the commission Prof. Md. Mohiuddin Ahmed at BTRC office in Agargaon of the capital on Thursday afternoon.
The term of the unified license is 15 years, with which Banglalink can provide all types of wireless mobile services including 5G. In the light of the ‘Regulatory and Licensing’ policy, the operators are granted this unified license under ‘Cellular Mobile Services Operator Licence’ and ‘Radio Communications Apparatus License for Cellular Mobile Services’.
The chief executive of Banglalink expressed his excitement on receiving the license and said, “This is an important achievement in the expansion of innovative digital services across the country. This move paves the way for Banglalink to provide more digital services to meet the changing needs of customers.”
In a press release sent by Banglalink, Kan Terzioglu, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Banglalink’s parent company Veon said, “The unified license facility is a very timely acquisition for us to fulfill our promise of high quality customer service. Heartfelt thanks to BTRC for supporting Banglalink in taking this bold step of technological development to work towards the common goal of building a Smart Bangladesh.”
BTRC said that the guideline titled ‘Regulatory and Licensing Guidelines for Cellular Mobile Service in Bangladesh’ was approved on February 13. Based on that, the license was handed over to three operators in the building of BTRC in Agargaon of the capital on Monday. State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak gave the license to Grameenphone, Robi Aziata and Teletalk.
In the license handover ceremony, among others, Commissioner of Spectrum Division: Sheikh Riaz Ahmed; Commissioner of Finance, Accounts and Revenue Division Md. Mushfiq Mannan Chowdhury; Commissioner of Legal and Licensing Department Md Aminul Haque; Director General of Administration Department Abdullah Al Mamun; Director General of Spectrum Department Brigadier General Mohammad Moniruzzaman Jewel; Director General of Engineering and Operations Department Brigadier General Kazi Mustafizur Rahman; Director General of Legal and Licensing Department Ashish Kumar Kundu; Secretary (BTRC) Md. Nurul Hafeez; Director (Licensing) Sajeda Parveen; Director (Radio Communication Study and Research) Dr. Md. Sohail Rana; Chief Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Officer of Banglalink Taimur Rahman and the representatives of the organization were present.
The first commercial license for cellular mobile services was issued in 1996 as the 2G license, which was renewed in 2011 for a period of 15 years until 2026. In 2013, 3G licenses were awarded to four mobile operators for a period of 2028. Later in 2018, 4G licenses were issued in favor of four operators till 2033. Currently, the operators are providing cellular mobile services in the country under these licenses.
Countries around the world are moving towards the commercial implementation of mobile broadband, Internet of Things (IoT) and versatile services through 5G technology, taking practical aspects into account in more reliable and lower latency networks. 2.3 GHz, 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands have already been selected to provide 5G technology services in Bangladesh. On March 31, 2022, 70.00 MHz from the 2.3 GHz band and 120.00 MHz from the 2.6 GHz band were allocated through auction in favor of 4 mobile operators, which are currently being used for providing 4G services.