The country’s telecom regulator finally woke up for formulating a three-year telecom roadmap-2013-2015, in the year 2014, after spoiling a year from the proposed period.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) had earlier decided at a meeting held on 19 March 2013, to work out a strategy for attracting foreign investors and for upgrading the technologies and services up to the international standard.
After spoiling the first-year of the plan, BTRC is learnt to ask the officials concerned to immediately prepare department-wise planning by 12 February.
“The roadmap drafting committee has requested all the respective officials of various departments to incorporate their respective plans on respective departments by 12 February, this year,’’ reads an office-notice signed by Md Nurunnabi, member secretary of the committee.
Though the commission has given only six weeks to prepare the roadmap after the formulation of the committee, but they have utterly failed to come up with any plan so far even after eleven months, according to an official.
“We are on our way to formulate a roadmap, which is essential for boosting the industry, and also hope that it will be made public within a couple of weeks,” said Sunil Kanti Bose, Chairman of BTRC, while addressing a programme at a city hotel recently.
“It is our fault as we couldn’t sit together for quite a long time to formulate the plan but we have to make it anyhow, although we have missed the deadline set for the plan,” said ATM Monirul Alam, commissioner of spectrum management division and convener of the roadmap committee.
As the tenure of Monirul Alam ended up recently, he was out of the commission for a few days. He, however, has been reappointed as the commissioner.
This the second time BTRC initiates to prepare a roadmap. Earlier in 2008, BTRC had formulated first roadmap consisting of 20 action plans under the military-backed caretaker government.
Earlier, BTRC chairman Sunil Kanti Bose said, “As our aim is to establish a digital Bangladesh, there has to be a roadmap, especially for spectrum and new licenses.”
“This is to facilitate entrepreneurs in the industry to prepare their future business and investment plans.”
Mobile operators also praised the decision to prepare a modern roadmap for this developing industry.
Though telecom watchdog is planning for a three-year long roadmap, telecom sector has sought for roadmap for at least ten years.
“We need to have a very clear cut roadmap for ten years, which can also forecast about the prospect of the industry,” TIM Nurul Kabir, secretary general of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh, told the Dhaka Tribune.
After finalizing a draft, BTRC will sit with the high officials of the post and telecommunications ministry and also will hold meetings with the stakeholders and industry experts to discuss about it before formulating the telecom roadmap-2013-2015.