BTRC & BTCL Formation

The BTRC (Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission), established in January 2002, is the driving force behind opening up competition in the telecom sector, rationalizing spectrum policy, and establishing formal control over telecommunication networks and interconnections to stimulate entrepreneurship and improve quality of service. With a population of 147 million but only 50 million working phones initially, there was enormous untapped potential in the telecommunications market.

Today, Bangladesh has thirteen (13) PSTN operators and six (6) mobile phone operators, with over 130 million mobile users—surpassing many European countries. To support this growth, the BTRC made a revolutionary decision in 2007 to allocate licenses in the private sector for three IGW (International Gateway) operators, two ICX (Interconnection Exchange) operators, and one IIG (International Internet Gateway) operator through a competitive tender bidding process. By early 2008, the following licenses were granted:

IGW (International Gateway):

• Mir Telecom Ltd

• Bangla Trac Communications Ltd

• Novotel

ICX (Interconnection Exchange):

• M&H Telecom Ltd

• Getco Telecommunications Ltd

IIG (International Internet Gateway):

• Mango Teleservices Ltd

By the end of 2009, the mobile phone customer base had grown from 2.2 million in 2004 to 52.43 million, while fixed line telephone users reached 950,000. Daily telephone call volumes stood as follows:

• International incoming calls: 30 to 40 million minutes per day

• International outgoing calls: 3 to 4 million minutes per day

• Domestic inter-operator calls: 90 to 100 million minutes per day

To combat illegal VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) operations and ensure all international calls are routed through legal, accountable channels, the BTRC has recently begun issuing licenses for IP telephony operators. This initiative aims to increase government revenue and discourage the growth of illegal circuits.