NTP 2015 Comments Mustafa

Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering

Mustafa M. Hussain, Assistant Professor, Department of ECE, East West University. Phone: 01755629251 Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Plot No-A/2, Jahurul Islam City, Aftabnagar Main Road, Dhaka 1219

Honorable Secretary

Ministry of Posts and Telecommunication (MoPT)

Subject : Comments on Draft “National Telecommunications Policy 2015”

The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West

University appreciates the opportunity to provide its views and comments concerning

the issues raised in the consultation “National Telecommunications Policy 2015”.

The National Telecom Policy admirably sets a goal of creating a national network

through the convergence of fixed and wireless services that will bring voice, data and

video services to all of Bangladesh. This is an ambitious plan that would create

“Broadband on Demand” in Bangladesh.

We sincerely believe that the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunication (MoPT)

would consider our comments in the perspective and expect forward-looking

recommendations on subject matter.

Mustafa M. Hussain, Assistant Professor, East West University

( MSc. Telecommunications Engineering, King’s College, London)

Phone: 01755629251 Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]




The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University addresses each of the draft policy’s key objectives and their corresponding strategy recommendations below. Comments and Opinions about “National Telecommunications Policy 2015”.

1. Preamble 1.1 Telecommunications and associated applications have long been recognized as key enablers of the three dimensions of sustainable development- economic growth, environmental balance and social inclusion. The Government of Bangladesh has declared the ‘Vision 2021’, to become a middle income country by 2021. As part of realizing this vision, the ‘Digital Bangladesh’ agenda of the Government embodies the philosophy of effective use of modern technology in implementing Government’s plans in education, agriculture, health, job creation and poverty reduction. Existence of a robust Telecommunications and IT ecosystem is mandatory to achieve our long cherished development goals. 1.2 To leverage the enabling role of Telecommunications, the National Telecommunications Policy, 1998 laid the basic design of a liberalized telecommunication sector in Bangladesh. It paved the way for separation of the policy, regulation, and operational functions that were centralized at that time.




1.3 Based on the 1998 Policy, the government enacted the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation Act, 2001 (the Act). Several amendments have been made to this Act so far, to address the growing needs of the sector. For further improvement in the service delivery, the government integrated Telecommunications and IT activities and formed the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology following the strategy of the 6th five year plan1. 1.4 Substantial development has taken place on all fronts in telecommunication services including internet, mobile and broadband since the adoption of the 1998 Policy. However, the expansion momentum of broadband in rural areas has been slower than urban areas. Due to rapid technological changes in recent years, the sector became more interdependent with the global trends of regulation, market structure, and customer needs. Along with the prospects of the new technologies, citizens are being exposed to different new threats from the cyberspace. The issues related to telecommunications and ITs are not remain confined within the boundary of the country. Hence, the 1998 Policy and associated legislations requires revision to reflect the demands of the present day and the future. 1.5 The aspirations associated with this new National Telecommunications Policy is to involve next generation by establishing all-inclusive telecommunications and IT services equally in rural and urban areas to accelerate national economic growth for a prosperous digital Bangladesh.




2. Vision Provide affordable and universally accessible quality telecommunication services to support the nation’s sustainable development goals and to integrate the country with the global knowledge economy. The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University highly welcomes the vision and is ready to fully support it with our academic and industrial expertise.




3. Mission 3.1 To ensure affordable and integrated telecommunication networks and services for all the individuals, households and businesses in Bangladesh. 3.2 To facilitate an efficient and innovative modern telecommunications industry through effective competition across all parts of the sector. 3.3 To maintain certainty and transparency in the governance of the telecommunication sector. 3.4 To Integrate Bangladesh in the new global knowledge economy through affordable high quality broadband services which will enable research and development activities and development of human capacity to achieve global competitiveness. 3.5 To harmonize the policies and legislations in the fields of Telecommunications, IT and broadcasting. 3.6 To adopt a whole of Government approach to the growth and development of the telecommunications sector. 3.7 To encourage strong and continuing foreign investment along with the domestic investment. 3.8 To Promote local manufacturing of telecommunication products and to facilitate the development of software, applications and content for the domestic and global market. 3.9 To maintain safety, security and quality of networks and services through standardization and enforcing strict compliance to the standards.




3.10 To safeguard the social and cultural fabric of the nation by directing the expected influence of the technology towards the greater benefit of the society. 3.11 To ensure proper utilization and management of the national resources in the telecommunication sector. The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University is ready to fully support the Bangladesh Government in developing a robust, secure state of the art telecommunication network. We feel it is vital to prioritize Delivering Broadband policy and mainstream it into our social and economic development. According to World Bank “A 10% increase in broadband penetration increases the per capita GDP by 1.38% in the developing countries.” The Internet will fundamentally Impact every dimension of Human Life. We need revise the existing broadband download speed of 256 Kbps to 2 Mbps by 2015 and subsequently higher speeds of at least 100 Mbps thereafter. Delivering Broadband is one of the great challenges of the early 21st century. Like electricity, a century ago, BB will be the foundation for economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness and a better way of life. It will enable the emergence of new industries while unlocking vast new possibilities for existing ones. It will change how we educate children (and other students), deliver health care, manage energy, evolve public safety, engage Government and access, organize and disseminate knowledge. Once upon a time Mobile Phone was a communication device, but Smartphone has now the potential of being an instrument of empowerment.




Mobile Operators dominate the VAS market and Mobile Apps market to a significant extent by determining service fees, by selecting Provider according to their existing relationship, by excluding content providers who do not generate sufficient revenues or who provide similar non-branded services that it is offering as its own branded service A Licensed Operator should not engage in any conduct that has the purpose and/or effect of substantially lessening competition in a telecommunications market and should not directly or indirectly fix purchase or selling prices or any other unfair trading conditions;




4. Guiding Principles The following five principles guide the National Telecommunications Policy to ensure the development and sustainability of a vibrant telecommunications sector in Bangladesh: 4.1 Open and Competitive market: Telecommunication infrastructure provision and service delivery shall be conducted through the operation of open and competitive market along with the substantial role of the government to maximize aggregate social benefits. 4.2 Universal Access: Modern telecommunication services shall be accessible to all citizens and communities. All aspects of access which includes but not limited to availability, affordability and capacity to use shall be addressed to ensure that universal access is achieved. 4.3 Effective Governance: The government shall facilitate high regulatory standards in the telecommunication sector and shall be proactive for taking timely decisions on telecommunications and IT related policy adjustments. 4.4 Appropriate Regulation: Regulation of the sector shall be certain, transparent and non-discriminatory. The purposes of the regulations are to promote competition, sector development and migration to more efficient means of delivering quality services. 4.5 Forward Looking: Provision of contemporary and proven new technologies, concepts, applications and converged services shall be promoted to develop and maintain global competitive advantage in all telecommunications embedded industries for creating a digitally inclusive knowledge based economy.




5. Policy Time Horizon The National Telecommunications Policy is intended to be relevant for the next 10 years at least. However, the policy may be reviewed time to time and revised, if necessary, to preserve its effectiveness and relevance. The associated strategies, and the activities listed herein, shall also be monitored, reviewed and revised regularly. The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University highly appreciates the policy time horizon.




6. Policy Objectives The objectives of the National Telecommunications policy, inter alia, include: 6.1 Affordable and Universal Access 6.1.1 Ensure affordability through scale and efficiency of the sector.

6.1.2 Facilitate comprehensive social inclusion and cohesion through affordable telecommunication and IT services to bridge the Digital Divide.

6.1.3 Inculcate Brand-Bangladesh culture and traditions in the architecture of telecommunications and associated applications to provide citizen centric services.

6.1.4 Expand network and services in marginal areas to enable economic and social inclusion through redirecting some portion of industry revenues.

6.1.5 Ensure effective and non-discriminatory interconnections amongst the service providers.

6.1.6 Ensure secured and efficient international connectivity for the telecommunication networks. Drones, Balloons, And Satellites Are The Future Of Internet Connection. Sri Lanka has already signed a deal to deploy Google Loon high altitude ‘floating telecom tower’ balloons full free broadband internet coverage to the entire country. Sri Lanka is on its way to becoming the very first country in the world to have network connectivity cover the entire country. The most dramatic (positive) change in our global economy is about to occur between 2016 and 2020. Three to five billion new consumers, who have never purchased anything, never uploaded anything, and never invented and sold anything, are about to come online and provide a mega-surge to the global economy. Here are the four major efforts, deploying tens of billions of dollars to make free public wifi based Internet : Google's Project Loon, Facebook using Drone , SpaceX Global Constellation , OneWeb – Virgin Group and Qualcomm




We strongly believe Bangladesh Government should consider Free Public Wifi Access through space internet segment as Affordable and Universal Access connectivity.




6.2 Quality of Service and Customer protection 6.2.1 Establish proper grievance redressal mechanism to provide effective customer friendly environment. 6.2.2 Establish mechanism for service providers to ensure their accountability and transparency for quality of service, fixing tariff, charging etc. and uphold the customer interest. 6.2.3 Ensure customers’ legitimate privacy and protection of personal information. 6.2.4 Keep telecommunications and platforms protected and capable of effective and expedient recovery in the event of criminal acts or threats. 6.2.5 Uphold the national security interest in the overall telecommunication sector. Protecting the interests of subscribers and consumers in respect of quality of service is one of the major duties of BTRC (Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission) as set in the telecommunications Law. It is being observed that all the operators, excepting few, are not paying any attention to the quality of their respective services. As a result, the overall quality of the network has followed deteriorating trends, instead of further improvement. Although the subscriber base has been increased but the customers’ complains have also been increased simultaneously. Frequent call drop, poor network coverage and unsatisfactory customer care support are the common issues being faced by the subscribers. As a result, customer’s dissatisfaction is increasing and complains against the network are also increasing day by day. The BTRC (Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission) should maintain a high level of quality of service delivered to customers in Bangladesh, by monitoring key performance indicators (KPI) of licensed operators and publishing reports regularly on the quality of service of telecommunications services offered in Bangladesh




The regulator has already purchased equipment to monitor the services and will purchase the equipment needed for preparing their reports, which they will submit to the regulator. The regulator's evaluation will be thorough and will check the quality of services on the highways, railways and riverside.




6.3 Development of Telecommunications market and services 6.3.1 Ensure that licensing is technology and network neutral in line with the guiding principle of the government.

6.3.2 Move towards stable and effective licensing scheme to facilitate flexible response to opportunities and technologies in future.

6.3.3 Introduce licensing for the commercial satellite operations and services.

6.3.4 Introduce authorizations and class licenses for certain telecommunication services and applications.

6.3.5 Create environment for migration to digital broadcasting from analogue.

6.3.6 Formulate a suitable ownership transfer mechanism in licensing framework.

6.3.7 Ensure appropriate regulatory measures to create and maintain competitive environment in the telecommunication sector.

6.3.8 Address market failures through appropriate government intervention. Licensing is a Key Regulatory Instrument that is Integral to the Successful & Efficient Supply of Telecom/ICT Services to the Citizen .It is a Grant of Right to Operate & Provide Services by Regulator/Government. It Imposes General & Specific Obligations/Restrictions etc. Licenses should be issued to the Entity Which Can Bring Maximum Socio-Economic Benefits for the Country Service and technology neutrality allows operators to maximize their use of the latest technology while reducing costs and befit end users. Bangladesh Government should actively consider Moving towards an Effective, Forward-Looking Licensing Framework which would enable the Nation to Realize the Full Potential of Telecommunications and Information Technology. As, this enables growth and support national aspirations of becoming a middle income country. In Bangladesh we have different types of licenses mainly Individual & Class Licensing Regime [ICLR]:




Technology Defined Licensing 2G Mobile (GSM / CDMA)

Standardization Based Licensing BWA (WiMAX802.16e)

Resource Defined Licensing 3G Mobile (Allocation of 2100 MHz Frequency-Band)

Network Topology Based Licensing

Carrier (SC, ITC);

Gateway (IGW, IIG);

Exchange (ICX, NIX);

Access Network Service (ISP, IPTSP, PSTN);

Transmission and Infrastructure (NTTN, Tower)

Over The Top (VTS, CC, CP); etc.

Open Licensing Regime: Remains Open To Acquire by Eligible Applicant(s), Not-Revenue Focused

Close Licensing Regime: Available as per Govt. Wish, Limited Number of License, Revenue Focused

Moving from Individual & Class Licensing Regime [ICLR], to Unified Licensing Regime [ULR] also should be the Key Issue to Consider. Regulators should move towards a unified licensing framework by consolidation of existing service specific license categories and remove Categories of Licenses That Add No Value and Represent Artificial Constraints, Exclusive Licensing Arrangements The implementation of ULR requires careful planning and comprehensive assessment of arrange of issues. Industry consultation should be a part of the transition process at each step. Licensing framework should meet the regulatory requirements of a converged telecommunications sector, licenses should be technology neutral




VERTICAL CONVERGENCE For example, Transmission system is the integral part of the telecommunication service delivery. Due to vertical separation of licensing scope, mobile operators are not allowed to lay fiber and it has been made mandatory to get the fiber transmission service from the NTTN licensee. In most cases, it is found that NTTN licensees are unable to cater the demand of service providers. This is impacting the growth of sector, infrastructure and telecom penetration in remote rural areas. In case of vertical convergence from Bangladesh context, ULR may consolidate the business scope of access network, transmission and gateway services. Where there is insufficient competition in a market, licensing should be used as a means of facilitating competition (including new market entry if needed) HORIZONTAL CONVERGENCE For example, Next generation telecommunication network are built on common and IT based technology standards like IP, which is making it possible to run a number of services on the same network infrastructure built for different access technologies. The same core network, transmission network, service network and billing/charging could be used to serve both fixed and mobile customers. Separation of licenses based on access technology would lead to duplicity of infrastructure deployment and would be a national loss. Convergence on the access side would be allowed and encouraged, and necessary changes in the regulatory framework should be brought. Any new licensing regime should undergo a thorough economical analysis to ascertain whether the country resources can be used most optimally and the value created for the customer and society is maximum and sustainable. License gives an investor or, a service provider the authority to enter in to a service market, hence the licensing process determines the level of competition in the market. To create a competitive environment no artificial entry barriers should be created and wherever it is possible the entry should be made open; but it has to be ensured that the policy and licensing criteria should not impede competition among the players.




The licensing regime should also be non-discriminatory and should not favor any particular type of investor, ethnicity and nationality. Assessment of the current licensing framework and identification of amendments required to ensure the unified licensing regime fits within the existing legislative and regulatory framework; Assessment of the appropriate level of regulatory intervention required (i.e. individual license versus class license) and the license terms and conditions; Development of the process for issuing new licenses and whether there should be any restrictions on the number of licenses issued, for example future towerco license government should not issue more than 3 licenses. If government gives license like gateways and exchange it will be a disaster for towerco industry,




6.4 Management of scarce resources 6.4.1 Ensure effective and equitable best practice processes for the planning, allocation and assignment of spectrum to maximize social and economic benefits.

6.4.2 Promote efficient and flexible use of spectrum with provision of regular audit of spectrum usage.

6.4.3 Support the emergence of future telecommunication services by ensuring proper management of spectrum.

6.4.4 Emphasize on appropriate and best practice processes for the planning, allocation and assignment of numbering schemes and other resources.

6.4.5 Establish the rights in obtaining access to the space orbit resources and spectrum for satellite operations and applications. The availability of spectrum has become a key issue in tackling the forecast rise in global mobile data traffic, which is expected to create significant capacity constraints on mobile networks in the coming years. The capacity of a base station site is directly related to the amount of spectrum available to the operator. Effectively, the greater the amount of spectrum an operator has available, the higher the capacity per site. This allows the operator to serve more data traffic on its existing site grid and reduces the need for new sites. A key part of the solution is to identify new spectrum bands which can be used for mobile data services. As a result of this growing demand for spectrum for mobile services, one of the main agenda items at the next World Radio Communications Conference (WRC-15) is to consider new spectrum bands for mobile services. One of the main drivers of future spectrum demand is the growing consumption of mobile data, which is expected to continue increasing in the future.




It is absolutely essential that sufficient harmonized UHF spectrum is re-allocated to mobile services so that the mobile industry can continue to deliver high-quality services, especially mobile broadband.




6.5 Investment 6.5.1 Encourage local private sector and foreign direct investment in the growing telecommunication and IT sector especially into broadband and other new convergent services.

6.5.2 Emphasize on allocative efficiency in public sector investment as well as maximizing social benefits and elimination of gender inequalities.

An effective, forward‐looking licensing framework is essential for the successful

deployment of value‐maximizing technologies, the promotion of effective competition between operators, and for the facilitation of investment in the communications sector.




6.6 Efficiency and innovation 6.6.1 Facilitate the service providers to utilize their full potentials and innovate new convergent services.

6.6.2 Ensure regulatory measures to remove the barriers to the efficiency of the telecommunication sector.

6.6.3 Support innovative e-services and m-services in important social sectors.

6.6.4 Encourage development of secure and reliable applications to facilitate online transactions. 6.6.5 Increase efficiency in business transactions through e-commerce.

6.6.6 Encourage innovative use of telecommunications and related technologies and services. The Digital Dividend spectrum is especially important for delivering affordable access to broadband, especially in rural areas. It is approximately 70 per cent cheaper to provide mobile broadband coverage at frequencies around 700/800MHz than to use the 3G frequencies at 2100MHz. This means networks can be rolled out quickly and cost-effectively, bringing cheaper services to consumers. These effects are multiplied when countries work together to ensure they implement the digital dividend in a harmonized way regionally, or globally if possible. In countries where harmonized spectrum is not made available in a timely way, the uptake of broadband will be lower and slower.




6.7 Employment and Entrepreneurship 6.7.1 Create sustainable employment opportunities within the telecommunication sector.

6.7.2 Facilitate job opportunities and entrepreneurship in other sectors of the economy.

6.7.3 Promote local ownership and extend support for the provision of tele-centres or e-centres in under-served areas and encourage the development of local employment opportunities around such initiatives. Mobile Operators dominate the VAS market and Mobile Apps market to a significant extent by determining service fees, by selecting Provider according to their existing relationship, by excluding content providers who do not generate sufficient revenues or who provide similar non-branded services that it is offering as its own branded service A Licensed Operator should not engage in any conduct that has the purpose and/or effect of substantially lessening competition in a telecommunications market and should not directly or indirectly fix purchase or selling prices or any other unfair trading conditions;




6.8 Standardization and Local hardware and software production 6.8.1 Support the development as well as use of best practice standards.

6.8.2 Promote indigenous Research and Development (R&D) for hardware manufacturing and software development to serve local and global market.

6.8.3 Develop institutional framework to support the R&D and manufacturing industry. R&D plays an important role to support consensus building in global standardization. Therefore, The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University believes that a global R&D will help the adoption of international standards by allocating R&D in respective markets. The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University highly welcomes the concept and is ready to fully support it with our academic and industrial expertise.




6.9 Environment-friendly networks 6.9.1 Establish and strengthen the framework to address the environmental and health related concerns pertaining to the telecommunications sector.

6.9.2 Promote, enhance and continue adoption of environment-friendly activities in telecommunications arena.

6.9.3 Encourage use of renewable energy sources to create green telecommunication sector. The Licensee should ensure the use of green technology (in terms of renewable energy, low power consumption etc.) in at least 10% (five percent) of its Access Nodes (e.g. BTS) within 5 (five) years and at least 20% (ten percent) within 10 (ten) years of license duration.




7. Strategy 7.1 Customer friendly telecommunication framework 7.1.1 Formulate mechanisms to ensure competitive environment.

7.1.2 Assess the feasibility of function based classification of licenses and identify the services suitable for authorizations and class licenses considering sustainability of existing license holders.

7.1.3 Encourage all licensed operators to share facilities without any discrimination as approved by the government.

7.1.4 Determine the regulatory remedies to reduce the risk of harm to competition and customers from the dominance of the service provider with Significant Market Power.

7.1.5 Formulate a suitable ownership transfer mechanism of the license with necessary thresholds while maintaining licensing framework and adequate competition. Licensing is an official authorization to provide services and operate networks. Licenses describe rights and obligations of licensees. License Provide confidence to investors to invest millions or billions. It clarifies what the licensee is and is not allowed to do. It can be a small document or a self contained regulatory code that defines the terms and conditions under which the licensee may operate. Licensing Framework that defines what is regulated, who is regulated, and how they

are regulated. Effective and forward‐looking licensing framework is essential for developing telecom sector. Licensing determines degree of competition, revenues earned by governments, and conditions for operation and supply of services. Commercial considerations, rather than regulatory mandates, appear to be driving the increasing trend for MNOs to adopt a variety of infrastructure models. Infrastructure sharing ensures Optimization of scarce resources and positive environmental impacts, Decrease in duplication of investment, reducing capital and operational expenditure, Positive incentives to roll out into underserved areas, Improved quality of service particularly in congested areas, Product and technological innovation as operators compete on service differentiation, Increased consumer




choice as entry and expansion become easier and Reductions in wholesale and retail prices for mobile services.




7.2 Facilitate introduction of efficient telecommunication infrastructures and services 7.2.1 Facilitate high speed broadband services for all individuals, communities, educational institutions, homes, and businesses in the country. 7.2.2 Develop a comprehensive roadmap on transition to Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting (DTTB) to provide information and recommendations on policy, regulation, technologies, network planning, customer awareness and business planning for smooth migration.

7.2.3 Introduce a code for the construction of ducts and associated access points for all concerned authorities. Drones, Balloons, And Satellites Are The Future Of Internet Connection. Sri Lanka has already signed a deal to deploy Google Loon high altitude ‘floating telecom tower’ balloons full free broadband internet coverage to the entire country. Sri Lanka is on its way to becoming the very first country in the world to have network connectivity cover the entire country. The most dramatic (positive) change in our global economy is about to occur between 2016 and 2020. Three to five billion new consumers, who have never purchased anything, never uploaded anything, and never invented and sold anything, are about to come online and provide a mega-surge to the global economy. Here are the four major efforts, deploying tens of billions of dollars to make free public wifi based Internet : Google's Project Loon, Facebook using Drone , SpaceX Global Constellation , OneWeb – Virgin Group and Qualcomm We strongly believe Bangladesh Government should consider Free Public Wifi Access through space internet segment as Affordable and Universal Access connectivity.




7.3 Effective Use of Social Obligation Fund 7.3.1 Develop principles for the prioritization of Social Obligation Fund allocations to provide services to the neglected areas in Bangladesh.

7.3.2 Include shared services amongst tele-centers, e-centers and broadband access under Social Obligation Fund.

7.3.3 Prepare a guideline or rule for the use of Social Obligation fund to develop various Telecommunication and IT devices and applications, particularly for educational, scientific, cultural, and communication and information purposes intended for the persons with disabilities and special needs. UNIVERSAL SERVICE as a concept and funding mechanism is generally used as a part of the policy of “promoting or maintaining “universal” availability of connections by individual households to the public telecommunications networks.” BTRC is collecting only 1% of an operator’s annual gross revenue (against Social Obligation Fund). We feel contribution to Social obligation fund should be at least 3% of revenue. SOF already has a large accumulation of unspent funds. SOF and the SOF shall only be used for the development of Telecommunication and ICT related service/infrastructure/consultation etc. It has to be spent in underdeveloped and region/places where the profitable business case for any particular type of service/license is absent.




7.4 Improve regulatory certainty, transparency and effectiveness 7.4.1 Ensure that best practice standards for both policy making and regulation are reflected in the legislation.

7.4.2 Strengthen the human resource and institutional capacity of the regulator.

7.4.3 Review the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulating Act, 2001 to align it with this policy.

7.4.4 Develop a framework for technology, service and network neutrality in consultation with the stakeholders to apply it in all areas of licensing scheme and regulation. Rights and obligations of licensees should be clear and consistent, with changes resulting only from transparent consultation and Licensees should have recourse to independent and transparent dispute resolution or appeals processes where there are disputes with the regulator.




7.5 Protection of Customer rights and Service quality 7.5.1 Ensure that all licensees develop and circulate their customer dealing policies which includes the expectations of service delivery and billing.

7.5.2 Establish effective, accessible and expedient customer complaint and dispute resolution arrangements.

7.5.3 Move towards the full Number Portability at the earliest.

7.5.4 Maintain a National Mobile phone and related equipment Register for addressing security threat, theft and other concerns including reprogramming of mobile handsets.

7.5.5 Mandate online disclosure of detailed area coverage by telecommunication service providers.

7.5.6 Formulate a Code of Practice for Marketing and Sales Communications to ensure transparency and address security issues relating to Customer Acquisition.

7.5.7 Ensure that the service providers shall comply the performance standards and Quality of Service (QoS) parameters.

7.5.8 Prepare a guideline to safeguard the rights of the persons with disabilities and special needs. Protecting the interests of subscribers and consumers in respect of quality of service is one of the major duties of BTRC (Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission) as set in the telecommunications Law. It is being observed that all the operators, excepting few, are not paying any attention to the quality of their respective services. As a result, the overall quality of the network has followed deteriorating trends, instead of further improvement. Although the subscriber base has been increased but the customers’ complains have also been increased simultaneously. Frequent call drop, poor network coverage and unsatisfactory customer care support are the common issues being faced by the subscribers. As a result, customer’s dissatisfaction is increasing and complains against the network are also increasing day by day.




The BTRC (Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission) should maintain a high level of quality of service delivered to customers in Bangladesh, by monitoring key performance indicators (KPI) of licensed operators and publishing reports regularly on the quality of service of telecommunications services offered in Bangladesh




7.6 Effective Utilization of Spectrum and other telecommunications resources 7.6.1 Enhance use of effective and equitable best practice processes for the planning, allocation and assignment of spectrum.

7.6.2 Periodically identify additional frequency bands for operation of low power devices for public use which is exempted from licensing requirements.

7.6.3 Assess the feasibility of Fixed-Mobile Convergence thus making available valuable spectrum for other wireless services.

7.6.4 Refarm2 spectrum from time to time to make spectrum available and allot alternative frequency bands or media to service providers.

7.6.5 Develop the capacity and necessary institutional framework for Advanced Radio Spectrum Engineering and Management Studies and policy research.

7.6.6 Develop a detail regulatory roadmap for the utilization of spectrum

7.6.7 Maintain open and participatory allocation process and management of radio frequency.

7.6.8 Move towards the use of allotted spectrum to provide service in any technology subject to Radio Regulation of ITU, National Frequency Allocation Plan (NFAP) and non-interference with other user or bands.

7.6.9 Enhance the spectrum monitoring capacity to address any unauthorized use of spectrum. The availability of spectrum has become a key issue in tackling the forecast rise in global mobile data traffic, which is expected to create significant capacity constraints on mobile networks in the coming years.




7.7 Coordinate with other policies and strengthen International cooperation 7.7.1 Establish a national forum with representatives of all stakeholders to work on sustainable development of the telecommunication sector in Bangladesh.

7.7.2 Coordinate with the Board of Investment, the Bangladesh Bank, the Securities and Exchange Commission and other relevant agencies to attract domestic and foreign direct investment into the telecommunication sector and for stable and predictable environment of investment.

7.7.3 Play an active role in the international and regional co-operation, standardization, policy formulation and resource management bodies. The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University highly welcomes the concept and is ready to fully support it with our academic and industrial expertise.




7.8 Enable proper Management of Cyberspace 7.8.1 Establish the institutional framework for Bangladesh Network Information Centre (BDNIC) for the management of the ccTLD, IDN, IP addresses, AS Numbers, other internet resources and for performing as an institutional base in relation to Cybersecurity.

7.8.2 Prepare a plan of action for the transition to IPv6 and guide the co-existence of IPv4 and IPv6. The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University highly welcomes the concept and is ready to fully support it with our academic and industrial expertise.




7.9 Enhance Research and Development and manufacturing of Telecommunications and IT equipment and products 7.9.1 Promote synergy amongst manufacturers, R&D centers, academia, service providers and other stakeholders for the development of high quality new products and equipment.

7.9.2 Assist entrepreneurs to develop and commercialize locally assembled or manufactured products.

7.9.3 Establish institutional framework for Telecommunications Standards Development, which shall be a testing and certification body of all telecommunication products for conformance, performance, interoperability, health, safety, security, EMF, EMI, EMC etc.

7.9.4 Encourage global software and equipment vendors to set up meaningful local presence in Bangladesh.

7.9.5 Establish a National Institute for research and human Resource Development in Telecommunications which may be of public-private partnership. The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University highly welcomes the concept and is ready to fully support it with our academic and industrial expertise.




7.10 Enhance the competitiveness of State Owned Enterprises 7.10.1 Encourage the state owned telecommunications enterprises to adopt competitive business strategies including human resource development, management restructuring, partnering with private sector and attracting local or foreign investment.

7.10.2 Encourage the state owned enterprises to identify and explore the scope of strategic and operational synergies among themselves for infrastructure creation, manufacturing and service provision.

7.10.3 Establish key public telecommunications infrastructure in collaboration with the state owned enterprises to enhance capabilities in the matters of national security, disaster management, e-service delivery and serving the underserved. The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University highly welcomes the concept and is ready to fully support it with our academic and industrial expertise.




7.11 Ensure Security 7.11.1 Enforce telecommunications service providers to take adequate measures for the security of the communication flowing through their networks.

7.11.2 Provide assistance to Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) within regulatory framework in tune with the prevailing license guidelines and in conformity with the Act for fulfilling national security needs.

7.11.3 Mandate standards in the areas of safety and security in all possible building blocks of the telecommunication networks i.e. devices, elements, components, physical infrastructure like towers, buildings etc. The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University highly welcomes the concept and is ready to fully support it with our academic and industrial expertise.




7.12 Enable Disaster and Emergency management 7.12.1 Prescribe sectoral Standard Operating Procedures for aiding effective and early mitigation during disasters and emergencies.

7.12.2 Create appropriate regulatory framework for provision of reliable means of public communication by Telecommunication Service Providers during disasters.

7.12.3 Encourage use of ITs in prediction, monitoring and early warning of disasters and early dissemination of information.

7.12.4 Establish nationwide Unified Emergency Response framework including nationwide single access number for emergency services. The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University highly welcomes the concept and is ready to fully support it with our academic and industrial expertise.




7.13 Encourage Environment protection 7.13.1 Facilitate increased use of alternative sources of energy including Renewable Energy for green telecommunications.

7.13.2 Promote the use of energy efficient equipment including low power wireless devices in telecom networks and adopt measures for the reduction of carbon footprint in the telecom sector.

7.13.3 Undertake periodic review of EMF radiation standards for mobile towers and mobile devices with reference to international safety standards by the telecommunication standards body. The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University highly welcomes the concept and is ready to fully support it with our academic and industrial expertise.




8. Network development and connectivity Targets 8.1 Short term (by 2018) 8.1.1 Increase the tele-penetration from about 80% (including fixed and mobile) to 90%.

8.1.2 Increase the internet penetration from about 27% to 35%.

8.1.3 Increase mobile or fixed broadband penetration to 12% which is about 7% at present.

8.1.4 Extend optical Fibre connectivity to all District and Upazila headquarters and 1,200 Unions.

8.1.5 Ensure availability of high speed wireless broadband service up-to all Upazila headquarters.

8.1.6 Introduce digital broadcasting in the country. The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University highly welcomes the concept and is ready to fully support it with our academic and industrial expertise.




8.2 Medium-term (by 2021) 8.2.1 100 % tele-penetration will be achieved.

8.2.2 Internet penetration will be increased to 50%.

8.2.3 Broadband penetration will be 30%.

8.2.4 All of the Unions will have connectivity to information highway through optical fibre.

8.2.5 High speed wireless broadband service will be available upto all Union level.

8.2.6 20 % of the household and organizations of the country will have access to the high speed Optical Fibre network. The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University highly welcomes the concept and is ready to fully support it with our academic and industrial expertise.




8.3 Long-term (by 2025) 8.3.1 Internet penetration will be 90%.

8.3.2 60% of the population will enjoy broadband services.

8.3.3 50 % of the household and organizations will have access to the high speed Optical Fibre network. The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University highly welcomes the concept and is ready to fully support it with our academic and industrial expertise.




9. The Acts on telecommunications: A number of Acts govern and regulate various telecommunications activities like the telecommunications between two or more points, audio broadcasting of radio messages or programs for the specified group of people or the public in general and telecasting of simultaneous audio-visual programs. The Telegraph Act 1885, the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933, the Radio Broadcasting Act 1975 and 1992, the Television Broadcasting Act 1965 and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulating Act, 2001 which regulate these activities may be considered for a combined Telecommunication Act applicable for all the allied services of telecommunications.




10. Application of other Policies, etc. relating to Telecommunication 10.1 Subject to the provisions of this policy, other policies of the sector shall apply and in case of any conflict with other policy related to telecommunications, the provisions of this policy shall prevail. 10.2 If any doubt or complicacy arises, the Posts and Telecommunications Division, Ministry of Posts Telecommunications and Information Technology reserves the right to change or modify any clause or sub-clause of this policy. 10.3 This Policy shall come into force on the date of commencement and the Policy 1998 shall be deemed to be abrogated from that date.




11. Scope of Interpretation of Policy 11.1 The Posts and Telecommunications Division, Ministry of Posts Telecommunications and Information Technology shall take necessary measures for the proper Implementation of this policy. In case of any doubt or conflict, interpretation of Posts and Telecommunications Division shall prevail. 11.2 In executing this policy, if it is felt necessary that certain changes or modification of any clause or sub-clause is required, Posts and Telecommunications Division reserves the right to change or modify respective clause or sub-clause.




12. Conclusion The National Telecommunications Policy is a summary statement of the philosophy, mission, objectives, strategies and the methodology to ensure equitable and judicious execution of the business of telecommunications in the country. This National Telecommunications Policy has been developed to establish clear guidance and settings for the telecommunications industry in Bangladesh. The general guideline embodied in this policy document emphasizes faster development of telecommunications and IT networks and services coupled with ensuring access and quality of service in line with the vision and aspirations of a prosperous Digital Bangladesh. The Department of Electronics and communications Engineering, East West University highly welcomes the concept and is ready to fully support it with our academic and industrial expertise.




About The author:

Mustafa Hussain Mustafa has considerable experience of the telecommunications industry including its market, standards and regulations. Amongst the recent engagements that Mustafa has carried out are: The Implementation of Technology Integration Solutions, Telecom Technology & Regulatory Strategy Management, Network. Management, Operations and Rollout, Project Management, Marketing and Sales for a Telecommunications company, Tasks related to Product Road map, Product Proposals, Product Presentations, Solution write-ups, Technical Pre-sales, Concept papers, New Venture Roll out, New initiative and business opportunity, Design of Telecom Business models and innovative strategies. Mustafa operates effectively at technical, marketing and strategic management levels and is a competent and practical engineer in both academic and commercial environments. He is also a PR/Communication specialist. Mustafa holds MSc Engineering Degree in Telecommunicatio ns from King’s College London. He is an Assistant Professor of East West University. He is also COO, Voicetel Ltd. JV of Partex Star and Karnaphuli Group. A telecommunications startup, as Interconnection Gateway operator. Advisor, Sky Telecom (Zelta Mobile) (JV of Partex Star, Karnofuli & Metro Group). Selling Vision and Futurist of Nextivity BD, with 8 Million USD Sales.Nextivity BD, is a leading end to end global telecom solutions provider and System Integrator with long-term partnerships with a large number of global vendors around the world. Nextivity BD is the local partner for Rohde & Schwarz , Swissqual, Aircom International, Tech Mahindra, Open Mind Network, Capana Nordic, Canvas-M, Xius-BCGI,VNL, Frost




and Sullivan,Capana, Elitecore, KPMG, Inmarsat, Avanti PLC, Nera Networks and many more. Nextivity Apps is a leader among Mobile Apps platform. Hybrid development allows apps for different operating systems to share the same core code, making overall development faster and cheaper. iOS Development, Android Development, Windows Development and Firefox Development. The author can be contacted at [email protected]



NTP 2015 Comments Mustafa

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