Telecom network simplification roadmap by April: BTRC chairman
He acknowledged that unnecessary network layers and excessive licences had been created, increasing costs for consumers
The Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is set to unveil a roadmap by April to simplify the network regime, which has become complicated over the past 15 years, said its chairman Maj Gen (retd) Md Emdad ul Bari.
Amid criticism that the telecom network and licensing regime became fragmented to "facilitate rent seekers" close to the previous government, he said the journey began in the 1990s with unified licences for mobile operators, later requiring the government to ensure visibility over their operations and revenue.
The BTRC chairman was speaking at the session "Inclusive Economic Development through Digital Transformation and MSME Growth" during the "Conference on Recommendations by the Task Force on Re-Strategising the Economy" in the capital today.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
However, he acknowledged that unnecessary network layers and excessive licences had been created, increasing costs for consumers.
Alongside network simplification, the BTRC also aims to boost device penetration and the spread of digital services to allow the economy and people to benefit from digital transformation, he added.
The session, moderated by task force member Fahim Mashroor, gathered opinions and recommendations from a wide range of stakeholders, including telecom operators, financial technology operators, and startups.
Chaldal CEO Waseem Alim, representing an online grocery service, said, "As a technology-enabled business, we face two major problems – high connectivity costs and a poor financing ecosystem."
In a panel discussion, Share Trip CEO Sadia Haque stressed the importance of following successful policies in comparable economies rather than increasing bureaucratic complexities by "trying to reinvent the wheel."
In his keynote, Fahim Mashroor presented the digital backwardness of Bangladesh, despite excessive digital rhetoric over the past decade, and called for a real push.
Economist Monzur Hossain, in another keynote, emphasised the facilitation and growth of the country's micro, small, and medium enterprises, which had been less prioritised in the past decade.
Telecom expert Mustafa Mahmud Hussain urged the BTRC to consider the rise of local entrepreneurs in the ecosystem and protect their interests as well.
ICMAB President and former Robi Axiata CEO Mahtab Uddin Ahmed called for a revision of the government's tax policies, which he argued burden poor people with higher direct taxes on essential services like the internet and mobile talk time.
Venture capital expert Shawkat Hossain stressed the need for a robust startup funding ecosystem in the country.
