BTRC calls off auction for mobile number portability licence

The telecom regulator has called off the much-awaited auction for mobile number portability licence.

The auction was earlier scheduled to be held on September 28 last year.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission will now advise the government to use the beauty contest method to award the licence.

In a beauty contest, a committee typically sets a number of criteria, including technical offer and financial strengths. The candidates' offers are then evaluated by a jury who selects the plan that has the best mix of those criteria.

The commission has also decided to return the earnest money of Tk 10 lakh to each of the five bidders, said Md Sarwar Alam, spokesperson of BTRC.

In September last year, the BTRC suspended the auction just a week before the scheduled time on security grounds, fearing misuse of the users' information under the portability service.

The mobile number portability service allows mobile subscribers to switch from one operator to another without changing their existing numbers.

The service is available in India, Pakistan and in many Western countries.