New telecom policy risks local investment, jobs, national security: NTTN operators warn
Draft policy favour foreign firms, say local providers demanding ITU review
Telecom industry leaders have warned that the government's proposed network and licensing policy may jeopardise local investments, eliminate jobs, threaten national security, and hand control to foreign firms especially the mobile operators.
The nationwide telecommunications transmission network (NTTN) providers, seeking protection of their local investments, raised the concerns during a press briefing in the capital today (28 May), following a workshop titled "Telecommunication Network and Licensing Policy: Which Way Forward for NTTN?"
The event was organised by the Telecom and Technology Reporters Network of Bangladesh (TRNB).
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The views come following similar concerns raised by the international voice calling gateway companies recently.
"Small internet providers will shut down. Thousands could lose jobs…Mobile giants laying fibre optic cables freely may crush local providers," said Moynul Haque Siddiqui, chairman of Fiber@Home, the largest NTTN operator in the country.
Speaking at a press briefing, the homegrown telecom entrepreneur demanded a UN International Telecommunication Union review of the new network topology and licensing regime policy the government is set to finalise in June.
Technology expert Suman Ahmed Sabir echoed the concerns, saying, "Allowing giant telecom operators to provide cable-based internet to enterprises will destroy internet service providers."
Industry representatives demanded a ban on mobile operators' involvement in fibre laying or fixed broadband services, arguing that it would undercut existing private NTTN firms.
Fiber@Home's Government and Regulatory Affairs Head Abbas Faruq said, "Mobile operators have been given access to advanced transmission technology like DWDM that created risk of underutilisation of the NTTN firms' nearly 1.5 lakh km national network of fibre."
The new policy treatment to private NTTN investors is also discriminatory, compared to that of government firms, he added.
Moynul further argued that the 2010 International Long Distance Telecommunication Service (ILDTS) policy, which had encouraged local investment and infrastructure development, is now being undermined by the government's new approach.
TRNB General Secretary Masuduzzaman Robin said, "National security needs local control, not foreign dependence."
The programme was moderated by TRNB President Samir Kumar Dey.
