By John Tanner
Bangladesh operators Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi Axiata and Teletalk have each received a unified licence from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to streamline their operations and 5G evolution paths.
Veon-owned Banglalink revealed on Monday it had officially received its unified licence from the BTRC on March 14. Telenor-owned Grameenphone said it received two unified licences – ‘‘Cellular Mobile Services Operator License’’ and ‘‘Radio Communications Apparatus License for Cellular Mobile Services” – on March 11. Robi Axiata and Teletalk also received their licences on that day.
The unified licences combine existing authorisations to use 2G, 3G and 4G technologies, making it technology-agnostic across those generations, and also include provisions for rolling out future technologies like 5G and 6G.
The new licences also facilitate the active sharing of infrastructure resources between operators, provide clearer guidelines on data retention, offer more clarity regarding the audit period, and rationalize various fees and charges. They also have the procedural benefit of simplifying and streamlining licence renewal to a single process.
Grameenphone said the unified licenses “foster competition in the industry, driving innovation and thereby benefiting customers through better quality and experience.” They also mandate robust protections against cyber threats and adherence to international standards as a “timely and strategic measure” to protect Bangladesh’s growing digital ecosystem.
Grameenphone and Banglalink also made the point that the unified licence scheme supports the adoption of smart technologies and aligns with the country’s vision of a “Smart Bangladesh” – which also sees 5G as playing a central role in that vision.
“We look forward to ensuring superior customer experience, fostering digital inclusion and cocreating a smarter, sustainable Bangladesh,” said Grameenphone CEO Yasir Azman. “Looking at a future dominated by smart devices, AI and connected technologies, we will be able to cocreate an ecosystem which will serve to make our customers life safer, healthier, and happier.”
Banglalink CEO Erik Aas said the new licence would “liberate crucial resources for us to focus on providing a superior customer experience. These changes will positively impact Banglalink’s adoption of advanced technologies and help us support the Smart Bangladesh vision.”
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