The telecoms regulator has started the process to auction unused spectrum band.
Four mobile telecom operators are taking part in the auction at Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka, which began around 11am on Monday.
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 regulator will auction 5 MHz in four blocks with a base price of $27 million.
BTRC spectrum auction being held at Hotel Intercontinental in Dhaka on Monday Collected
An operator will be allowed to take part in the 2100 MHz band auction even if it skips the 1800MHz band auction.
Md Shahidul Alam, director-general of spectrum division at the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), began the proceedings.
Telecoms Minister Mustafa Jabbar, Secretary Mohammad Afzal Hossain, BTRC Chairman Shyam Sundar Sikder, CEOs of mobile telecom operators are attending the event.
Firstly, the auction of 1800 MHz band spectrum started followed by the auction of 2100 MHz band spectrum.
The last spectrum auction was held in February 2018 before the launch of 4G services in Bangladesh.
Also read - Teletalk finally opts to take part in spectrum auction to stay afloat
The operators bought 15.6 MHz in three blocks, while the rest of the spectrum — 67 percent of the total — remained unsold.
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.
Currently, Grameenphone's total spectrum is 37 MHz. After Robi and Airtel merged, the combined amount of Robi spectrum is 36.4 MHz. Meanwhile, Banglalink's spectrum is currently 30.6 MHz and Teletalk has 25.2 MHz spectrum.
