WIMAX News: BRAC's BDmail declines Wimax licence

courtesy: bdnews24.com

Dhaka, Nov 15 2008

BRAC's BDmail Network has declined a licence to operate Wimax in Bangladesh.

"BRAC BDmail will not pay for the licence. They informed us in a letter," BTRC chairman Monzurul Alam told bdnews24.com Saturday.

The company sent the letter to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission last week.

"As per our guidelines, we will invite the company who gave the next highest bid in auction. We will make a final decision on Sunday," said the BTRC chief.

The telecoms regulator had already extended the deadline for payment of the licence fee from Oct. 16 to Nov. 15, on request by BDMail and another licence winner BanglaLion Communications.

The winning companies must pay Tk 215 crore for each licence, 50 percent by the deadline and the rest in the next 90 days.

Aguree Wireless was the third licence winner in an open auction in September. Vitel Bangla came fourth among the bidders.

Abdus Salam, consortium member of Vitel Bangla, told benews24.com: "If BTRC invites us, we will pay for the licence."

Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited will also apply for the remaining licence, said a BTCL official.

According to the licence guidelines, WiMax operators will initially have to install 90 base stations and expand their network within three years. More than 60 percent foreign investment will not be allowed, though non-resident Bangladeshis may invest 70 percent.

Broadband News: BTRC slashes bandwidth fee for rural access

courtesy: bdnews24.com

Monday, 10-Nov-2008
Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has slashed the domestic bandwidth charge by 60 percent to reach the internet facilities to the rural people who have been on the wrong side of the digital divide.

The latest cut in charges, second in five months, takes effect from Dec.1, the telecoms regulator said in a press statement on Monday.

The BTRC has issued a circular on the service providers stating that the move came in order to help upgrade the living standards in the countryside by providing easy access to internet, the BTRC release said.

The authorities also instructed the mobile operators, PSTN operators and ISP to reschedule their charges by Nov. 13 in line with the reduced charges.

"The drop in the bandwidth charges by 60 percent will facilitate internet facilities in the remote villages to help alleviate poverty and ensure development there," BTRC chairman retired major general Manzurul Alam told bdnews24.com

"The use of internet and broadband will see a jump nationwide after the move gets effective."

As per the reduced charges Tk 200-250 per km for 50 km, Tk 155-200 per km for 51-100 km, Tk120-160 per km for 101-200 km, Tk100-130 per km for 201-300 km, Tk75-95 per km for 301 km and above have been fixed.

Broadband News: Land phones with Broadband Line by December, 2008

Dhaka, 2008 Oct 10 - Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited will start connecting land phones with broadband internet connections by December, a senior government official said on Friday.

Telecommunications secretary Iqbal Mahmood told bdnews24.com that internet connections would initially be given to some districts in addition to Dhaka.

Mahmood said 26 telephone exchanges were being prepared for the service.

The state-run company will use Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line or ADSL technology that helps landline users to access phone and internet on the same line, a senior BTCL official said.

The users will have to install a modem costing up to Tk 5,000 for the service.

The speedy internet connection will be available for BTCL phone users at a competitive price.

A BTCL official preferring anonymity said users of Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Khulna, Rajshahi, Bogra and some other districts would get broadband internet connection initially.

He said the BTCL would charge less than private companies for the service.

Digital phone users can use dial-up internet without any connection fee. It charges Tk 0.10 per minute in off-peak hours and Tk 0.15 during peak hours or Tk 6 and Tk 9 per hour respectively.

BTCL provides digital data network service in 71 areas in 41 districts.

Internet service providers have over 10 lakh subscribers and BTCL has about 30,000 internet users.

Mobile phone and PSTN operators have approximately 50 lakh internet users.

The government is going to allow 170 more private firms to provide internet connections.

 

Courtesy: bdnews24.com

Guidelines for use of Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Technology in Bangladesh

I get to manage the draft guideline below that has been posted in BTRC website. You can have a look.

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BANGLADESH TELECOMMUNICATION REGULATORY COMMISSION

Guidelines for use of Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Technology in Bangladesh

1. INTRODUCTION:

1.1.    Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has the responsibility under the Bangladesh Telecommunication Act 2001 (the Act) to ensure access to reliable and reasonably priced Internet-services for the greater number of people, as far as practicable. With this aim in view, the Commission is considering the use of Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Technology for last mile access solutions to open up new possibilities and create enabling situation for greater Internet penetration at an affordable cost.

1.2.    The Commission is hereby providing guidelines for the approved commercial/non-commercial use of the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band frequencies in Bangladesh using the Wi-Fi technology in order to ensure rapid expansion of services and accelerated increase in Internet penetration.

1.3.    These guidelines are to be read subject to the Act and other relevant laws and in conjunction with the respective operators' license conditions.

1.4.    These guidelines may be withdrawn, revised, updated or amended from time to time, without any prior notice, to take into consideration various factors including but not limited to, any threat to public health, national interest, national security and pursuant to statute or court orders.





2. OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES:

2.1.    As per the National Frequency Allocation Plan 2005 (NFAP 2005), spectrum from the ISM band in 2.4000-2.4835 GHz and 5.725-5.875 GHz is allocated for Wi-Fi use.

2.2.    Access to the spectrum will be on shared basis. There will be no exclusive assignment to any individual or organizations, whether for private, public or commercial use.

2.3.    Any Government or Private Organization/Educational Institution/Corporate Body can establish and use Wi-Fi Network on non commercial/non-profit basis.

2.4.    Household/private users are not required to take any permission from the Commission or pay any levy/charge for using Wi-Fi in the given ISM band.

2.5.    Both indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi is permitted in the given spectrum of ISM band. However, the maximum power output for the Wi-Fi equipment is limited to 1 watt.

2.6.    All commercial Wi-Fi Hotspot operators/service providers shall possess an ISP or equivalent License (e.g., BWA License). Existing operators having such License from the Commission will be eligible to establish Wi-Fi network for providing last mile solution.

2.7.    Operators/service providers will submit a detailed list of Wi-Fi outdoor Hotspots to the Commission. There will be levy/charges applicable annually for all hotspots. The levy/charge shall be charged as per the Rate List published by the Commission.

2.8.    All service providers will obtain permission in the form of No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Commission for importation, deployment, use and providing any service with Wi-Fi equipment. Guideline for Application and Application form is available at http://www.btrc.gov.bd. Existing ISM band operators who wish to adapt their present Wi-Fi equipment for the same purpose may also be provided permission from the Commission on case by case basis.

2.9.    All vendors in possession of "Dealer Possession And Radio Communication Equipment Vendor License" issued by the Commission are eligible to apply for NOC for importation and marketing of Wi-Fi equipment in Bangladesh.

2.10.The Commission reserves the right to cancel the permission if any complication arises anytime.

Link: here

WIMAX in Bangladesh: Two license holder fail to pay

Courtesy: bdnews24.com

Dhaka, Oct 19 —Two of the three WiMAX licensees have failed to pay the required fees in time, forcing the regulators to extend the deadline by a month.

BTRC Sunday cited the global financial crisis as the reason when it announced the extension of the deadline from Oct 16 to Nov 15.

Brac BDMail Network and M/s BanglaLion Communications will now get this extra time to pay up half the Tk 215 crore fee.

"Considering the global crisis, and taking into account the petitions from the winning bidders, the 10-working day time for depositing half the license fee has been extended to Nov 15," BTRC chairman Manzurul Alam told bdnews24.com.

Losing bidders, however, began complaining.

"If we knew such an opportunity would come, many of us would have offered more money for license," said Syed Masud Kabir, managing director of Mango Teleservices.

The guideline, he said, spoke of 10 working days and no scope for an extension. But, he admitted, the commission reserved the right to amend the guideline.

The BTRC chairman disagreed.

"This is not right. The entire license fee will have to be deposited in 90 days.

"If they fail, other companies in line will get the licenses.

"The global crisis struck immediately after the bidding (on Sept 24)," he said.

The BTRC chief said India too suspended the 3-G licensing process because of the crisis.

The other winning company, Augere Wireless Broadband Bangladesh Ltd, was handed the license Sunday by the BTRC chairman following its payment of the required fee in time, a BTRC statement said.

WIMAX in Bangladesh: Licence for WIMAX has been distributed

Courtesy: bdnews24.com

Three companies, Bangla Lion Communications, Brac Bdmail Network Ltd and Augere Wireless Broadband Bangladesh Ltd, have won licences to operate WiMAX or Broadband Wireless Access in Bangladesh, a BTRC official said Wednesday.

The three firms purchased the licences in auction for Tk 215 crore, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission media consultant Abbas Faruk told bdnews24.com.

The auction started around 11:30 am at the capital's Radisson Hotel and ended around 2:45 pm.

The nine vying for licences were Aguri Wireless Broadband Bangladesh Ltd, Bangla Lion Communications, Bangladesh Internet Exchange Ltd, Brac Bdmail Network Ltd, Clearstream Ranks (Bd) Ltd, Mango Teleservices Ltd, P-1 Consortium, Telestar Communications Ltd and Vtel Bangla.

Bangla Lion Communications began by offering 27.50 percent of the revenue to the government, before the contest heated up.

The three companies that won will run WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) technology that allows wireless data to travel over long distances by various means, from point-to-point links to full mobile cellular type access.

The chief adviser's special assistant MA Malek, in charge of post and telecommunications, told reporters earlier at the auction venue: "I have come here to observe whether the auction is being held transparently."

On ISPs cutting internet fees for subscribers, MA Malek said: "This is the responsibility of BTRC to regulate. The commission did not have full regulatory powers in the past, but it will get them soon."

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, who will issue the three licenses, has estimated that once WiMAX is functional the number of internet users across the country will cross 1 crore.

[polldaddy poll=1253610]

Sept 11 was the deadline for submission of applications. BTRC, who invited applications in August, said a total 12 bid documents were sold, with nine companies eventually submitting their documents.

Internet service providers had originally asked the government to open up WiMAX licensing to Bangladeshi organisations qualifying on merit.

Mobile operators in Bangladesh and anyone having invested in them were barred from bidding for a BWA license.

The licence acquisition fee, fixed by the BTRC auction, will be supplemented by an annual license fee of Tk 3 crore [BDT 30 million].

According to the licence conditions, the winning companies will set up at least 90 base stations in the first year, and the whole country will have to be brought under WiMAX network within three years.

Foreign investment in the licenced companies should not be more than 60 percent and non resident Bangladeshis are allowed to invest at 70 percent ownership.

The licencees will have to file for initial public offering (IPO) within three years of the issuance of a license, and shall not be allowed to transfer any shares before issuance of the IPO without prior written permission from the commission.

Company Address:

BanglaLion Communications
House # 67, Road # 1, Block # I, Banani, Dhaka-1213, Bangladesh
Phone: (880 2) 8814059-60, Fax: (880 2) 9885647

BRAC BDMail Network Ltd.
HQ & Operations; Kaderia Tower, Floor-12, 13 & 14, ZA-28/8/B, Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka-1212
Phone: (880 2) 9884635, 9884637 Fax: (880 2) 9884587

Augere Wireless Broadband Bangladesh Limited
AQC Towers, 57 Dilkusha C/A, Dhaka-1000
Mobile: +44(0)7801712148 (Damian Reid)
Email: damian.reid@augere.eu

more for Augere at augere.eu

Fred Roeskestraat 123-1
1076 EE Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Second Floor, Berkeley Square House
Berkeley Square, London W1J 6BD
T: +44 (0) 207 887 4580 F: +44 (0) 207 887 4579

Spectrum Distribution (opted by companies):

BanglaLion Communications: 2585 - 2620 MHz

BRAC BDMail Network Limited: 2320 - 2365 MHz

Augere Wireless Broadband Bangladesh: 2365 - 2400 MHz

Citycell started EV-DO Service for the first time in Bangladesh (ZOOM Ultra)

Just got the news yesterday that leading telecom provider Citycell, the only CDMA based mobile operator in Bangladesh is starting EV-DO services soon in the country.

Initial bandwidth limit would be something around 2Mbps.

For details on EV-DO, you can visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution-Data_Optimized/.

So far they have already gone in production with a non-governmental organization (so far I can recall, go to http://citycellbd.net/works/citycell/news.php for exact information) as a test service and that is working fine.

I am still unsure about the bandwidth that's required to cover the demand for EV-DO, but eventually that will be going fine and this is a good sign indeed to our demand for broadband services in Bangladesh.

Package:

Initial packages are made available for personal use as below,

5 GB = 4500/- Taka

8 GB = 6000/- Taka

Connection Bandwidth:

However there is no special package or package having smaller download limit like 1GB or 500/300 MB what is currently available with ZOOM (CDMA2000 1X) connection. So most of the people like me would get in trouble fitting the service for their use. Costly indeed.

Price:

The hardware modem cost is something around 12,000/- Taka, again costly. Morar opor kharar gha. Again I am looking to see if any low-cost modem is available in the country. Unfortunately there is no mobile phone is available in the market in BD that supports CDMA 1X EVDO technology. I have an EVDO enabled modem that I arranged brought from China.

Coverage Area:

Initially few places of Dhaka will have the facility to enjoy EV-DO service since the coverage will be available to only those places. These places are Gulshan, Bonani and Motijheel. Eventually all the places will be taken under coverage.

I am eagerly looking forward to see the service and am sure many of me who is just keen to have more bandwidth. I will publish more information regarding this once I get it and off-course if I have time.