GP, Robi, Teletalk receive unified licences

Telecom operators Grameenphone, Robi, and Teletalk today received unified licences, which will enable them to provide all sorts of services and streamline operations.

These licences combined previous ones for 2G, 3G, and 4G, while incorporating provisions for 5G and future services.

The annual fee for the licence was set at Tk 10 crore. It will remain valid for 15 years.

The licences -- titled "Cellular Mobile Services Operator Licence" and "Radio Communications Apparatus Licence for Cellular Mobile Services" -- were handed over at an event organised by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) at its office today.

Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for telecom and ICT, handed over the licences.

BTRC Chairman Md Mohiuddin Ahmed and other senior officials were present at the event.

"We are delighted to receive the unified licence. We appreciate our regulator, BTRC, for the timely initiative of introducing a unified licencing regime. Bangladesh will enter an era of technology neutral services," Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer of Robi Axiata Ltd, said.

"We wholeheartedly welcome this timely initiative and express our deepest gratitude to regulators, government bodies, and policymakers for their visionary efforts," Grameenphone CEO Yasir Azman said.

"Grameenphone receiving the unified licences marks the beginning of a transformative era, empowering Bangladesh's digital transformation and catalysing progress. It paves the way for us to contribute significantly to the realisation of the Smart Bangladesh vision, leveraging technology to drive economic growth and social development."

Looking at a future dominated by smart devices, AI and connected technologies, we will be able to create an ecosystem which will serve to make our customers' lives safer, healthier, and happier, he added.

The third largest operator, Banglalink, said it would also apply for the licences.

"We welcome the initiative of combining all the licences and issuing a unified licence. It's a timely step," said Taimur Rahman, chief corporate and regulatory affairs officer of Banglalink.

"However, being part of our parent company, VEON, which is a NASDAQ and Euronext listed company, we need to fulfill certain corporate governance requirements before acquiring this renewed licence. Once that is done, we shall apply," he added.

The awarding of the licence came nearly two years after the 5G spectrum auction. In March 2022, the country's four mobile phone operators bought 190 megahertz (MHz) spectrum for $1.23 billion to roll out 5G wireless communication.

Carriers now have to roll out the technology within a year.

BTRC Chairman Ahmed said since the spectrum had already been allocated, this unified licencing would not complicate the provision for new services, including 5G.

He urged mobile operators to implement all the services under the unified licence as soon as possible.