As part of its new business strategy, Airtel Bangladesh Limited has formed a separate entity to operate its 4,000 towers across the country.
“Bangladesh Infratel Networks Limited” is now set to begin its operation soon after the newly floated company gets the go ahead signal from its Indian-origin parent organisation Bharti Airtel limited.
“We’re all set to begin our operation soon although we are yet to get the required green signal from Bharti Airtel limited,” said an official of Airtel Bangladesh Limited.
He stated that Bangladesh Infratel had been working closely with Bharti Airtel to take over the responsibilities of all the Airtel mobile towers in Bangladesh.
Bharti Infratel limited, a subsidiary company of Bharti Airtel Limited, which is the largest tower and related infrastructure provider in India, operates all the towers of Bharti Airltel Limited in the neighbouring country.
Recently, Bharti Airtel raised US$310m fund through Mumbai stock exchange by selling its shares to Bharti Infratel.
Infratel Networks Limited already got the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to maintenance its own towers throughout the country.
It also got a trade licence to do business in Bangladesh as a subsidiary company of Airtel Bangladesh limited.
Earlier, the network infrastructure service provider edotco, a subsidiary company of Robi Axiata Limited, had begun its operation to maintain more than 6,000 towers of Robi across the country and continued to expand its operations.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has already been drafted a Tower Sharing Licence guideline awaits the consent from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The government is going to introduce the Tower Sharing Licence as part of its plan to carry out the maintenance of mobile phone base stations (BTS) through two separate companies.
Soon after approval of the draft, all mobile operators will lose their rights to build towers across the country, according to the draft. Bangladesh Infratel Networks Limited might have to hand over its tower business to the company accredited by the government.
However, all mobile operators have already expressed concern over the introduction of new tower sharing guidelines that will create a bar to build and maintain towers by themselves.
Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB), a trade body of all the mobile telecom operators in Bangladesh, has sent a letter to Post and Telecommunications Division Secretary, expressing their concern over the mobile of the government in this connection.
