Dhaka, Jan 26 (bdnews24com) – Telecom regulators have halved license renewal fees of private PSTN operators.
The Commission also reduced spectrum fees, performance guarantees and roll-out targets by half at a meeting with the Association of PSTN Operators of Bangladesh, BTRC announced Monday.
But the operators were not satisfied.
"We are disappointed that the commission made no decision on our initial demands," APOB president and chairman of RanksTel Abdur Rouf Chowdhury told bdnews24.com.
"We wanted a decision on the inter-connectivity fee and a tariff for all private telephone operators in the country."
BTRC chairman retired major general Manzurul Alam told bdnews24.com the Commission had talked with mobile operators and that a decision was expected soon after discussions with mobile and PSTN operators.
According to the new rates, license renewal fee now stands at Tk 1 crore, zonal licence fee at Tk 15 lakh; national spectrum fee nearly Tk 40 lakh, zonal around Tk. 15 lakh; five-year performance guarantee for central region Tk 5 crore and single region Tk 2.5 crore.
Earlier, PSTN operators had to pay license fee Tk 2 crore for national, Tk 30 lakh for zonal, spectrum fee about Tk 80 lakh for national, around Tk 30 lakh for zonal, five-year performance guarantee Tk 10 crore for the central zone and Tk 5 crore for the single zone.
The newly fixed price list will be effective from Jan 1, 2008.
bdnews24.com/mrf/zr/mt/2359hrs
