The country’s telecom regulator (BTRC) has started monitoring closely the roll out performance of the third generation (3G) mobile data services by the four private mobile phone operators.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) officials are now traveling to the divisional headquarters to oversee the 3G roll out performances by Grameenphone, Robi, Airtel and Banglalink, according to sources.
Officials in the telecom watchdog body have started their inspection from 13 July to 17 July, as a 9-month long grace-period for introducing the three generation (3G) mobile data services ended up last week.
As per the 3G license guideline, the operators have an obligation to roll out their services in all the divisional headquarters within nine months from the license awarding date.
Though the 3G guideline also effected over the state owned operator Teletalk like other private operators but here BTRC officials not included them as their inspection list.
3G spectrum auction was held on September 8, last year and the operators got their respective licenses within a week.
We know some of the operators have already introduced 3G services in all the divisional headquarters but we have the responsibility to check whether all of them have full-filled their roll out obligations or not, a senior official of BTRC told the Dhaka Tribune.
“We will also get an idea about the network coverage of the operators as well as the quality of the services following the field-level visits,” he added.
Grameenphone, the leading operator, has got 10 Megahertz spectrum in the spectrum auction to expand its 3G coverage to all the 64-district headquarters by March, this year, although it had covered up more than two hundred upazilas by that time and it has already covered more than three hundred upazilas so far.
The operator brought all the seven divisional cities and some densely populated cities under 3G coverage by December 31, 2013, according to Grameenphone officials.
Banglalink expands its 3G network in 62 districts head quarters including all the seven divisional cities.
Although Robi has faced some problems after launching its 3G service, it has overcome the crisis and the operator is now offering services in all the 23-district head quarters, said a senior executives of Robi.
Airtel officials informed that the operator has covered all the divisional headquarters before the deadline as currently its subscribers are enjoying 3G networks in 13 districts head quarters.
Robi, Airtel and Banglalink took 5 Megahertz of spectrum while Teletalk taken 10 Megahertz though they have paid a less on it.
Teletalk has so far covered 18 districts including all the divisional headquarters though it had launched its service one year before than the other private operators.
Currently, there are around 46.17 lakh 3G users across the country while Teletalk is leading the market in Bangladesh, Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology Minister Abdul Latif Siddique has recently told the Parliament.
