BTRC outlines telecom licensing regime simplification, limits licensing layers to 3
IGW, IIG, ICX, NIX licenses to be discontinued after expiry
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has published a draft of the much awaited "Telecommunication Network and Licensing Regime Reform Policy 2025", aimed at overhauling the country's complex telecom licensing structure prevailing for the past one and half decades.
The telecom regulator, in a bid to deregulate and simplify the existing structure, has proposed eliminating the several licensing layers from the current licensing regime and limit the layers to just three major categories.
The categories are international connectivity service providers, national infrastructure and connectivity service providers, and access network service providers.
The draft policy was published today (22 April), with the BTRC inviting feedback from stakeholders, experts, and individuals by 30 April.
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As per the draft, services such as submarine or terrestrial cable-based international connectivity, IP transit, carrier contracts, and call termination will fall under the international connectivity category.
Licences for international gateway (IGW) and international internet gateway (IIG) services will be discontinued upon expiry, mostly by 2027. Existing license holders may apply for the broader international connectivity provider licence, according to the draft.
Under the national infrastructure and connectivity service category, firms will provide services such as tower sharing and nationwide transmission. However, interconnection exchanges (ICX), existing in the voice industry, and the national internet exchange (NIX) licences will be discontinued after expiry. The existing license holders may apply for a broader category licence.
In the access network layer, which serves end users directly, no licences will be revoked.
However, in a move to simplify the system, fixed broadband internet service licences – currently issued separately for national, divisional, district, and thana levels—will be merged into a single fixed telecom service licence. Smaller ISPs that do not meet the new requirements will be able to register as small ISPs through an enlistment process.
BTRC also proposed removing licensing or registration requirements for call centre services, vehicle tracking services, and telecommunications value-added services.
The proposed reforms, after public consultation, will await government approval.
BTRC wants its independence back
BTRC, in a separate letter to the secretary of the Posts and Telecommunications Division earlier this month, urged the government to repeal the 2010 amendments in the Bangladesh Telecommunications Act that curbed the watchdog's independence to fairly regulate and develop the telecom sector.
In the letter, the BTRC highlighted the need for autonomy in licensing, tariff setting, and many operational activities that currently require ministry approval.
The BTRC also called for legal safeguards against internet blackouts like that of July 2024.
