While some other mobile phone operators are not interested in, Airtel says it will favour fixing of mobile internet bandwidth prices.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has recently decided to set the bandwidth prices like voice and SMS tariffs.
It will be especially for mini packs, which will protect end-users, said sources.
“Currently, we are the price leader in data and voice market. So, we always welcome price packaging,” said Adnan Bin Taj, head of data of Airtel, while talking to the Dhaka Tribune on the sideline of a workshop yesterday in Dhaka.
Airtel and Telecom Reporters’ Network, Bangladesh jointly organised the workshop on “Prospect of 3G in Bangladesh” at a hotel.
BTRC already held a meeting with the mobile phone operators while the tariffs are likely to be finalised after another meeting next week.
The country’s telecom watchdog has compared different packages of the operators and decided to fix the bandwidth prices per 100 Megabits (MB) below Tk20.
The prices will be applicable for both 2G and 3G users simultaneously, said BTRC sources.
BTRC also wants to reduce the number of packages to “protect users from different traps.”
But three leading mobile phone operators are not currently willing to accept such price regulation as they said the action will make them lose revenue.
“We’ve just entered 3G era. The service and also the data market need some time to get matured,” said a senior executive of a mobile phone operator. But the telecom watchdog argued price regulation is necessary for “the betterment of the industry” and such action is a continuous process.
Airtel said it wished to be the leader in data service in the market.
“We want to be the data service leader in the market,” said Airtel’s public relations head Shamit Shahabuddin.
“Airtel has a large number of users from young generation. We need to take care of their demands.” Earlier, BTRC fixed a ceiling for call tariff at Tk0.25-2 per minute in 2008.
The regulator also directed operators to charge off-net call (from one operator to another) not less than Tk0.60.
In 2011, BTRC fixed the local SMS tariff at the maximum Tk0.50 and for international operators at Tk2. BTRC introduced 10-second pulse in any type of calls last year amid opposition from the operators.
Grameenphone, the leading operator, currently offers 500MB bandwidth at only Tk50 with 512Kbps (kilobits per second) speed in 3G for a five-day use.
Another operator Banglalink offers 50MB bandwidth for Tk50 with 1Mbps speed which can be used 15 days.
Robi offers 200MB bandwidth for Tk100 with 512Kbps speed for a seven-day use.
