The government will launch tower business in telecom sector considering customers’ interests as well as environmental concerns, State Minister for Posts and Telecommunication Tarana Halim has said.She was addressing a seminar as chief guest on ‘The Prospect of Tower Business in Bangladesh’, organized by a Telecom Reporters Network, Bangladesh (TRNB) in a local hotel on Saturday.
“Uncontrolled tower of telecom harms environment. We will consider level playing field to allow new players for tower business but upgrade of networks would also be considered during formulation of policy in this regard,” Tarana said. The state minister said upcoming policy in tower business would ensure foreign direct investment.
“We would create competition in tower business. Monopolies would be discouraged through ensuring level playing field in the sector,” Tarana said.
She said the government would also consider ensuring lower tower sharing costs so that the consumers would benefit from it.
Attended at the seminar, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) chairman Shahjahan Mahmood said the BTRC encourages investment in telecom sector.
He said the BTRC would provide tower sharing licenses to create an open market.
“A total of 36,000 mobile towers have so far been installed, when only 24,000 are required due to lack of tower sharing. But the quality of service is too poor,” he informed.
He said towers would be increased after introduction of 4G, and expressed his dissatisfaction over installation of five towers at BIRDEM Hospital in Shahbagh due to lack of sharing.
The BTRC chairman said they would formulate a new company to run tower-sharing. Of the company, BTRC would allow 51 percent ownership from local sources and rest from foreign direct investment.
TRNB president Rashed Mehdi moderated the seminar while its general secretary Shamim Ahmed presented the keynote.
GP corporate affairs officer Mahmud Hossain, Robi’s executive vice president Shahed Alam Association of Mobile Telecom Operator Association of Bangladesh (AMTOB) secretary general T I M Nurul Kabir, Banglalink attended at the seminar.
