Dhaka, Aug 27 (BDNEWS) – Growth of the telecom sector has been caught midway following local call constraints between private and BTTB land-phones arising out of lack of billing devices as well as technical upgradation of the T&T Board.
Bangladesh Telecom Operators Association (BTOA) made the claim Sunday saying that in absence of T&T switches and call rating devices at the district level, local calls of private land-phone subscribers could not be ensured.
Private phone as well as PSTN (Public switched telecom network) operators operate local calls to the BTTB via Dhaka, which is not economically viable.
Moreover, unavailability of call rating devices for local billing in the local BTTB exchanges, does not permit private PSTN operators to make inter-district calls, even if in the same zone.
According to the BTTB, though an issue of concern for the Board and the private operators, technical limitations could not be overcome overnight. It needed to be well addressed, it added.
BTOA told BDNEWS that customers preferred cell-phones to land-phones to some extent to avoid the existing shortcomings.
Users want guarantees of local calls between the BTTB and private land-phones at a minimum cost, BTOA members said adding, "Local subscribers demands are genuine."
According to the revenue sharing under the interconnectivity agreement between BTTB and private operators, when a private operator sends an NWD call to the BTTB, it has to pay Tk 1.20 per minute for a distance within 50 km, Tk 2.40 per minute for a distance within 100 km and 3.60 per minute for a distance over 100km.
The BTTB pays a PSTN operator only Tk 0.20 per minute for a call from the BTTB to the PSTN.
A private (PSTN) operator could offer local-call facility of Tk 0.50 per minute to users within the home network under a zone.
The BTTB, however, could facilitate its subscribers with local calls within a district in case of home network.
Though the BTOA proposed that the BTTB withdraw revenue sharing for local-calls from both sides to avert the problem, the Board has refused to do so.
The PSTN operators in commercial operation are: Ranks Telecom Ltd, Westec Ltd (Bay phone), Tele Barta Ltd (Jubok Phone), Jalabad Telecom Ltd (Bijoy Phone), Onetel Communications Ltd, National Telecom Ltd, Sheba Phone and, Peoples Telecomm and Information Services Ltd.
The BTRC has so far granted 37 licenses to 19 private sector public switched telecom network (PSTN) operators in the northeast, southeast, northwest and southwest zones.
But the unavailability of local call facilities between BTTB and private land-phones was really a misery, BTOA added.
BDNEWS/1835 hrs
