The telecom regulator is going to announce new directives for the new gateway licence holders to keep the country’s telecom market stable.
The regulator — Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission — has taken the initiatives as the government recently awarded 78 gateway licences, which is very large in the context of country’s telecom market size, said officials.
‘We’ve held meetings with the old and new gateway licence holders to create a level playing field how could all the operators get maximum benefit by keeping the market stable,’ the BTRC chairman, Zia Ahmed, a retired Major General, said.
Ahmed said they have discussed several issues including call sharing and revenue sharing with the gateways. But, final decisions are yet to be taken, he added.
The telecom ministry on April 12 issued 22 International Gateway licences, 34 International Internet Gateway licences and 22 Inter- connection Exchange licences.
Officials said the telecom regulator has decided not to allow any gateway license holder to import equipment without introducing modern billing system.
‘All the new IGWs, IIGs and ICXs gateway have to install CDR analyser before importing any kind of equipment,’ Zia Ahmed said.
BTRC has taken the decision to protect illegal call termination and verify call record, Ahmed said.
Besides, the regulator has reduced the concurrence call number for all the International Gateway and it has fixed at 5000 calls. The old three IGWs could accept highest 20,000- concurrence call.
Ahmed said that they have taken the decision to reduce the equipment import cost for IGWs.
The operators have to distribute equal call to all 25 IGWs whenever they start operation, he said.
On the other hand, the new ICX would get a chance to connect highest 12,000 inter-connection call at a time. The regulator has fixed 400-E1 for the new ICXs (one E1 has capable to connect 30 call at a time).
Ahmed said numbers of call distribution would be reduced whenever all the old and new ICXs start operation, adding that the decision would also cut the import cost of E1.