Abu Saeed Khan
bdnews24.com Technology Editor
Dhaka, March 7 (bdnews24.com)- BTRC chairman Muhammad Omar Farooq resigned Wednesday. An official of the telecoms regulatory outfit has confirmed it to bdnews24.com.
Farooq retired from civil service as home secretary and subsequently took over BTRC's top position in March 2005 for three years. He resigned one year ahead of schedule for undisclosed reasons.
The government is yet to announce Farooq's successor for BTRC.
On November 19, 2006, President Iajuddin Ahmed's caretaker administration sacked Farooq and other BTRC commissioners, but they were immediately reinstated due to procedural flaws.
Farooq took numerous questionable steps during his two-year chairmanship at BTRC.
"Since he is no longer in BTRC, we believe the government will appoint a competent chairman who will facilitate the telecoms sector's growth in a level playing field," a leading private operator's top official told bdnews24.com.
Farooq structured a controversial bidding process for the sixth mobile phone operating licence, which was awarded to Abu Dhabi-based Warid Telecom in December 2005. But he granted the radio frequencies under this licence to a non-existent entity in Bangladesh.
It questioned the legitimacy of Warid's operations and procedural consistency of BTRC, industry insiders said.
In September, Farooq fuelled further debate when he allowed "limited mobility" to fixed-phone operators. He also permitted them to use SIM cards, brushing aside the mobile operators' protest.
The mobile operators said such "extra-regulatory concessions" would empower the fixed-phone operators to run mobile phone services. They even demonstrated a mobile connection of RanksTel in Farooq's office. But the regulatory chief paid no attention.
He was also widely criticised for incorporating "impractical" preconditions in the bid document of awarding fixed-phone licence in Dhaka metropolis and its outskirts.
As a result that licensing process is still pending due to legal challenge. It has been depriving people of access to affordable fixed-phones in the capital.
The industry insiders blame Farooq for not establishing an interconnection regime. As a result, the state-owned BTTB does not share revenue with private operators.
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