The country’s four private mobile phone operators have recently paid their second installment of the 3G spectrum charges worth Tk1,708 crore.
The four operators got their 3G spectrums in an open auction held in September, last.
Leading operator Grameenphone along with the three others Robi, Airtel and Banglalink deposited the charges to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) at the end of last week, said a source.
In an open auction process, Grameenphone secured 10 Megahertz spectrum on 2100 band with a value of US$21m per MHz. Grameenphone had earlier paid 60% of the total spectrum value (Tk936.5 crore including 5% VAT) immediately after the auction, and it has recently paid its second installment worth Tk649 crore as spectrum fees while Tk37 crore as VAT.
The three other operators, who were able to get 5 MHz each, have paid Tk341 crore each as their second installment fees while each company paid Tk16.22 crore as their 5% VAT, according to a BTRC source. According to the 3G guideline, operators have to pay 60% of the spectrum charges within 30 days of the auction date and rest of the money have to be paid within next 180 days.
The government has so far earned Tk4,258 crore from the four private mobile phone operators as spectrum charges along with VAT, but only state-owned operator Teletalk, which was allocated 10 MHz spectrum, has so far only paid Tk50 crore while its outstanding rose to Tk1,600 crore as yet.
BTRC collected Tk6,728 crore till March of this fiscal, which might cross Tk10,000 crore land mark after the current fiscal, a BTRC official told the Dhaka Tribune.
