BTRC holds an auction of unused spectrum

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has started the process of auctioning the unused spectrum of two bands.

The event began at Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka at 11 am with four mobile telecom operators taking part in the auction.

Brig Gen Md Shahidul Alam, director-general of BTRC's spectrum division, began the proceedings.

Telecoms Minister Mustafa Jabbar, BTRC Chairman Shyam Sunder Sikder and executive officers of the operators are attending the programme.

The regulator will auction 7.4 megahertz spectrum of 1800 MHz band in five blocks -- two of 44 MHz, two of 2.2 MHz and one of 2.4MHz.

The base price is $31 million.

Of the 2100 MHz band, the BTRC will auction 5 MHz in four blocks with a base price of $27 million.

An operator will be allowed to take part in the 2100 MHz band auction even if it skips the 1800 MHz band auction.

BTRC held a spectrum auction in 2018 before the launch of the 4G services. It auctioned 46.4 MHz spectrum in 11 blocks at that time.

The operators bought 15.6 MHz in three blocks, while the rest of the spectrum, or 67 percent of the total, remained unsold for what the companies said was a high price.

According to the BTRC, it has an 8.4 MHz spectrum of 900 MHz 2G band, 12.4 MHz of 1800 MHz band and 20 MHz of 2100 MHz 3G band unused.