Entrepreneurs demand BTRC's independence

Entrepreneurs of Bangladesh's telecom sector want BTRC to be an independent commission, free from political influence and favoritism from influential business groups. According to them, the licensing process should be balanced and ensuring of equal opportunities for all participants is must.

These demands came up in a stakeholder meeting regarding ecosystem review of the telecom sector held at the conference room of BTRC building in Agargaon in the capital on Thursday. The meeting was chaired by BTRC Chairman Major General (Retd.) Md. Emdad ul Bari.

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of North South University Professor Md. Roknuzzaman presented the keynote article in the meeting.

In his speech he emphasized on breaking the market monopoly in the telecom sector. He added, “We are lagging behind in many areas due to our network topology and market system. These monopolies need to be broken and fair competition should be created.”

Other telecom and technology experts also addressed the meeting. International Internet Gateway (IIG) and Internet Service Provider (ISP) sector representatives said high taxes and VAT are not reducing the cost of internet for the commoners.
They alleged that non-fixed pricing for mobile operators and barriers to setting up last-mile CDNs were preventing a level playing field in the telecom sector.

BTRC Chairman Major General (retd) Md Emdad Ul Bari said, “We are working towards creating customer-friendly infrastructure. Many licenses will expire by 2027, before which we need to make the necessary reforms. Currently, private monopolies are being created, which BTRC is working to control.”

He also said that to make BTRC an independent commission, we have to move forward by correcting the mistakes of the past. According to him, it is essential to reform the ecosystem, so that the quality of customer service improves and fair competition in the telecom sector is maintained.