Stakeholders discourage cent percent foreign investment in the telecom sector

Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN) operators have discouraged cent percent foreign investment in the telecommunications sector noting that this sector is related to national security issues.

Stakeholders in the sector have also expressed serious concerns that the draft telecom topology proposed by the regulatory authority could pose a threat to national security, especially with the possibility of mobile operators directly providing Internet Service Provider (ISP) services.

They came up with the observation at a workshop and briefing titled "Telecommunication Network and Licensing Policy: The Future of NTTN", organized by the Telecom and Technology Reporters Network Bangladesh (TRNB) on Wednesday.

The stakeholders said that if mobile operators start working directly as ISPs, they will use their networks to provide internet services to customers independently. Businessmen are also worried that this will pose a major threat to the country's long-term telecom infrastructure which will cast an adverse impact on the existing businesses.

Fiber@Home, one of the nation's leading NTTN operators, Chairman Moynul Haque Siddiqui, said: "The popular saying that Bangladesh's telecommunications infrastructure is not technology-friendly, is not accurate. The country's ISPs and telecom companies have proven their capability by successfully testing the technology to provide 5G services with their current infrastructure. Therefore, there is no obstacle to introducing 5G in the current infrastructure."

Noting that there is no obstacle to foreign investment in the sector, Mainul Haque Siddiqui further said: "Although the new draft policy has mentioned discriminatory digital services, obstacles to change and expansion in it, the reality is different. Telecom operators have built data centers and cloud infrastructure in the country. This clearly shows that there is no discrimination here in bringing digital services. The services can be distributed if anyone brings it."

He also commented that the complexity and delay in expanding the new policy are 'ridiculous' and stated that it is possible to create more new services within the current framework.

Maynul Haque Siddiqui said that the new policy talks about limited competition and technological change. On the contrary, so many licenses have been issued that the sector has practically become sick.

He said that there is limited competition only among mobile operators, where the market has been kept limited by giving licenses to only four to five companies for the last 32 years.

Maynul Haque Siddiqui said that although the slow pace of technological change has been talked about, it has not been specifically explained. He also commented that some benefits are limited because 5G has not been deployed.

The chairman of Fiber at Home said that 'the existing ecosystem is being distorted in the name of creating something new, which will lead to the shutdown of many small ISPs. An attempt is being made to challenge the current ecosystem because it is not integrated. This shows that an attempt is also being made to break the existing structure and form something new.

Maynul Haque Siddiqui also demanded that the license policy be vetted by the international organization of the telecom sector, ITU, prioritizing the country's interests before implementing it.

Alleging that the BTRC workshop on the new licensing framework prioritized the interests of mobile operators, he said that this could have a negative impact on the long-term development of the country's telecom infrastructure.

He said that the telecom sector is related to national security issues. Therefore, there should not be cent percent foreign investment in this sector.

Abbas Faruque, Chief Governance Affairs Officer of Fiber at Home, raised concerns about the future of NTTN in his presentation.

He said that six NTTN operators have installed about 150,000 kilometers of fiber cables across the country. Now if mobile operators also get the opportunity to install fiber, the NTTN sector will not survive.

Other businessmen in the NTTN sector also said at the workshop that since the telecom sector is closely linked to national security, it is important to limit this foreign investment in the telecom sector to protect the country's cybersecurity and sovereignty.

The country's telecom sector has faced massive changes in the past few years. Mobile operators and network infrastructure companies have introduced various new services and technologies. In this situation, formulating policies by prioritizing the interests of a single sector will hinder the sustainable development of the telecom sector, said the traders.

Therefore, the businessmen also called on the government to reconsider the policies with the help of the international organization ITU, prioritizing national interests and security.

The discussants at the workshop said that since the current BTRC Commission took office, it has been seen that they have identified NTTN licensees as 'middlemen' in the telecom sector. The contribution and activities of the current licensees in this layer have also been underestimated.

The present reform includes a layer called 'NICSP', but the negotiators also commented that there is a risk to the investment security of the licensees of this layer and the commercial success achieved through the full use of the existing infrastructure.

Experts said that the draft policy has kept important transmission and connection facilities such as providing both vertical and horizontal facilities to mobile and broadband operators and active sharing open to all. In this situation, 'NICSP' licensees will become worthless.

TRNB President Samir Kumar Dey moderated the event, where General Secretary Masuduzzaman Robin delivered the welcome address. Telecom sector expert Suman Ahmed Sabir, Fiber@Home’s Additional Director Azad Chowdhury, Government Affairs Officer Lieutenant Colonel Rabiul Islam spoke about NTTN and various issues related to the telecommunications sector.