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The liberalisation of Bangladesh's telecommunications sector began with small steps in 1989 with the issuance of a licence to a private operator for the provision of inter alia cellular mobile services to compete with Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB), the previous monopoly provider of telecommunications services within Bangladesh. Significant changes in the number of fixed and mobile services deployed in Bangladesh occurred in the late 1990s and the number of services in operation have subsequently grown exponentially in the past five years.
Contents
- Telecommunication
- History
- Structure
- Public switched telephone network
- Mobile phone operators
- Long distance operators as per ILDTS Policy 2007
- Radio
- Television
- Internet
- Broadband Internet access
- International
- Submarine cables
- References
The incentives both from government and public sectors have helped the industry grow and it is now one of the biggest industries in Bangladesh. As a populous country, its huge market has attracted many foreign investors.
Telecommunication
The telecom sector in Bangladesh is rapidly emerging. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is the regulatory authority for this sector, overseeing licensing, policy, etc.
The calling code of Bangladesh is +880. There are also several SubCodes.
History
Landmarks in the history of telecom industry in Bangladesh
Structure
As defined in the National Telecommunications Policy 1998 and International Long Distance Telecommunications Services (ILDTS) Policy 2007, all mobile operators is to interconnect through Interconnection Exchange (ICX) and all international calls to be handled by International Gateway (IGW) which is to be connected to the mobile and fixed operators through the ICXs.
The Interconnection Exchange (ICX) will receive all calls from the mobile and fixed operators whenever the call is made to other network and will pass it to the destination network if the call is local, and will pass to the IGWs if the call is international. ICX will also deliver calls received from IGWs where the call is destined.
Below illustrate the structure of interconnection between different interfaces.
Public switched telephone network
The number of public switched telephone network (PSTN) subscribers in Bangladesh as of February 2009 was 1.372 million. PSTN operators in Bangladesh include:
Mobile phone operators
There are 6 mobile phone operators in Bangladesh, operating under the names of Airtel, Banglalink, Citycell, Grameenphone, Robi and TeleTalk. The number of mobile phone subscribers in Bangladesh as of April 2015 was 124.705 million, having risen from the February 2009 figure of 45.21 million.
Long distance operators (as per ILDTS Policy 2007)
On 25 February 2008 the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission awarded licenses for two Interconnection Exchanges (ICX), three International Gateways (IGw), and one International Internet Gateway (IIG) to six firms through an open auction in February 2008. The incumbent BTTB got the same licenses too. And after then on 12 April 2012 the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission awarded licenses for twenty one Interconnection Exchanges (ICX), twenty two International Gateways (IGw), and thirty International Internet Gateway (IIG)Here is the list of all operators:
International Gateway (IGW) operators
- Mir Telecom LTD
- 1Asia Alliance Gateway
- Bangladesh International Gateway
- Bangla Trac Communications
- Bestec Telecom
- BG Tel
- BTCL
- Cel Telecom
- DBL Telecom
- DigiCon Telecommunications
- First Communications
- Global Voice Telecom
- HRC Technologies
- Hub Tel
- Kay Telecommunications
- Mos5 Tel
- Novotel
- Platinum Communications Ltd
- RanksTel
- Ratul Telecom
- Roots Communication
- Sigma Engineers
- SM Communication
- SongBird Telecom (formerly Hamid Sourcing)
- Telex
- Unitrac Communications
- Vision Tel
- Venus Telecom
Interconnection Exchange (ICX) operators
- Bangla Telecom Ltd.
- Summit ICX
- BTCL
- Bangla ICX Ltd.
- Agni ICX
- Apex Communication Pvt Ltd
- CloudTel
- GAZI Networks Ltd
- GETCO ICX
- Imam Network Ltd.
- Jibondhara ICX
- Ring Tech Communications Limited
- M & H
- MicroTrade ICX (http://www.microtradeicx.com/index.html)
- Mother Telecom
- New Generation Telecom Ltd
- Paradise ICX
- Purple Telecom Limited
- Cross World Ltd
- SR Telecom
- Sheba
- Softex
- Tele Exchange Ltd.
- Teleplus Network Ltd
- Voicetel Ltd.
- Bantel Limited.
International Internet Gateway (IIG) operator
- Aamra Companies
- ADN Telecom Ltd. Formally named Advanced Data Network System Ltd.
- 1Asia Alliance Communication
- Abir Telecommunication
- Apple Communication
- Bangla Phone Ltd
- bdHUB
- BD Link Communication Ltd
- BSCCL
- BTCL
- Cybergate
- Delta Infocom
- Earth Telecommunication
- Equitel Communications
- Fiber @ Home
- Global Fair Communications
- Greenland Technologies
- Intraglobe Communications
- Level3 Carrier
- Mango Teleservices
- MaxNet Online
- NovoCom
- PeerEx Networks Limited
- Radiant Communications Limited
- REGO Communications
Internet Protocol Telephony Service Provider (IPTSP) operators
On 18 August 2009 the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission commenced awarding licenses for IPTSP. IPTSP operators are regulated by the BTRC. Current IPTSP operators in Bangladesh are:
- MetroNet Bangladesh Ltd, branded as MetroTel (Prefix-09612)
- Telnet Communication Ltd.
- Link3 Technologies Ltd. (prefix-09678)
- BDCOM Online Ltd.
- Access Telecom (BD) Ltd.
- ADN Telecom Ltd. (formerly Advanced Data Network Systems Ltd)
- Agni Systems Ltd.
- Rightsoft Systems.
- Akceycom Ltd.
- Akij Online Ltd.
- Bangladesh Export Import Company Ltd.
- Bangladesh Internet Exchange Ltd.
- BEXIMCO AND SQUARE
- BRACNet Ltd.
- Broad Band Telecom Services Ltd.
- BTS Communications (BD) Ltd., branded as UbernetBD
- Communication One (Pvt.) Ltd.
- Connect BD Ltd.
- Cyber Net Communications
- dhakaCom Ltd.
- Digital Connectivity Ltd.
- ERGO Ventures Ltd.
- Global Access Ltd.
- HRC Technologies Ltd.
- Idea Networks And Communications Ltd.
- IDS Bangladesh
- Information Services Network Ltd.
- Innovative Online Ltd.
- InterCloud Ltd.
- IS PROS Ltd.
- MaxNet Online
- Link3 Technologies Ltd. (prefix-09678)
- Nreach Net (Pvt.) Ltd.
- Pritty International (Pvt) Ltd.
- Ranks ITT Ltd.
- Royal Green Online Ltd.
- X-Net Ltd.
- TeleBangla Communications Ltd.
- RED Data ( Pvt) Ltd.
- Fusion Net
- Grameen Cybernet Ltd.
- IT Connect Ltd.
- J F Optical Services
- M/s. Media & Multimedia
- Next Online Ltd. (Nextfone)
- SADIATEC Ltd.
- Sine-10 (BD) Ltd.
- Chittagong Online Ltd.
- Chittagong Telecom Services Ltd.
- First n Fast IT Ltd.
- HN TELECOM
International Terrestrial Cable (ITC) operator
- 1Asia Alliance Communication
- BD Link Communication Ltd
- Fiber @ Home
- Mango Teleservices
- NovoCom
- Summit Communications
Radio
Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2, community radio 1, internet radios
Radios: 6.15 million (1997)
The government owned Betar-Radio Bangladesh operates from Dhaka and other local districts. Currently, the private FM radio channels are very popular. They are trying to attract young people by broadcasting music and news. The operating private radio channels include:
Television
As of 2012 there are 23 broadcast television stations in Bangladesh, including the state-run BTV and BTV World, with 20 million television sets in the country.
The number of private satellite channels is growing. The first private channel in Bangladesh was ATN Bangla. There are 5 full-fledged news channels (Somoy TV, ATN News, Independent Television, Ekattor and Jamuna TV). Gaan Bangla, the first full-time music channel in Bangladesh, commenced operations by October 2013.
Internet
The first connectivity in Bangladesh with the internet was in 1996. Though it was somewhat late, over the past few years growth has been rapid. The government's high internet tariff is impeding the growth of this sector. Recently the government has decided to reduce the tariff 50%.
The internet country code of Bangladesh is .bd.
As of 2005 more than 180 Internet Service Providers are operating in the country. ISP's are regulated by the Bangladesh telecommunication regulatory commission (BTRC).
The number of internet users in Bangladesh as of March 2009 is over 600,000, compared to 100,000 in 2000. However, only 0.3% of the population use the internet, thus making Bangladesh the lowest usage percentage per population of the internet in the world with the exception of North Korea, Myanmar and Sierra Leone.
In April 2010 Akhtaruzzaman Manju, president of the Internet Service Providers' Association of Bangladesh, told Xinhua that the country's six cell phone operators and Internet Service Providers have so far provided over 800,000 internet connections. "We've estimated that nearly 10 million people in the country are using 800,000 internet connections on a shared basis," he said, adding the number of internet users in the country is increasing yearly by around 15–16 percent.
A 2009 study by the Boston Consulting Group found that the number of Internet subscribers in Bangladesh is likely to reach 18.3 million by the year 2020, equivalent to a 32 percent household Internet penetration, which will result in a 2.6 per cent contribution to the country’s GDP while creating 129,000 more jobs, the research added.
Broadband Internet access
Though broadband internet access is available, the cost of high speed connection is higher than in other south Asian countries. Broadband internet and e-commerce in Bangladesh is slowly progressing. WiMAX service is now available from some internet service providers. In Bangladesh broadband is legally defined as 128/128 kbit/s, which is not in line with ITU standards.
The ISPs currently providing broadband services in Bangladesh are:
International
There are 6 satellite earth stations. Talimabad, Betbunia are two of them. Some info shows that the number is now 7. Bangladesh will send its first ever satellite Bangabandhu-1 into space in 2015.
Submarine cables
Bangladesh is connected to SEA-ME-WE 4 or South-East Asia – Middle East – Western Europe 4. The landing site of the Bangladesh branch is located at Cox's Bazaar. Bangladesh is also a member of the proposed SEA-ME-WE 5, which will provide another submarine cable connectivity for the country when its submarine cable is implemented within a couple of years. The company, BSCCL is the only submarine cable operator in Bangladesh.