This article contains promotional content .(December 2013) |
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.
Landmarks in the history of the telecom industry in Bangladesh: [1]
As defined in the National Telecommunications Policy 1998 and International Long-Distance Telecommunications Services (ILDTS) Policy 2007, all mobile operators are 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 another 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. [6]
Below illustrate the structure of interconnection between different interfaces.
The number of public switched telephone network (PSTN) subscribers in Bangladesh as of February 2009 was 1.372 million. [7] PSTN operators in Bangladesh include:
There are four mobile phone operators in Bangladesh, operating under the names of Banglalink, Grameenphone, Robi and TeleTalk. The number of mobile phone subscribers in Bangladesh as of April 2015 was 124.705 million, [8] having risen from the February 2009 figure of 45.21 million. [9] As of September, 2022 the number of mobile phone subscriber has risen to 181.43 Million.
On 25 February 2008 the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission awarded licenses for two Interconnection Exchanges (ICX), three International Gateways (IGm), 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:
On 18 August 2009, the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission commenced awarding licenses for IPTSP. IPTSP operators are regulated by the BTRC. [11] Current IPTSP operators in Bangladesh are:
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, 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:
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 are growing. The first private channel in Bangladesh was ATN Bangla. There are 8 full-fledged news channels (ATN News, Channel 24, DBC News, Ekattor, Independent Television, Jamuna Television, News24 and Somoy TV).
The first connectivity in Bangladesh with the internet was in 1996. In the past few years, growth has been rapid. The government's high internet tariff is impeding the growth of this sector, claims Norwegian-owned Telenor. [ citation needed ] Recently the government has decided to reduce the tariff by 50%. [12]
The internet country code of Bangladesh is .bd.
As of 2005 more than 180 Internet Service Providers are operating in the country. [13] 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. [14] 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. [15]
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. [16]
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 percent contribution to the country's GDP while creating 129,000 more jobs, the research added. [17]
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 progressing slowly. 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. [18]
The ISPs currently providing broadband services in Bangladesh are:
There are 6 satellite Earth stations. Talimabad, Betbunia are two of them. Some info shows that the number is now 7. Bangladesh has sent its first ever satellite Bangabandhu-1 into space on May 11, 2018.
Bangladesh is connected to SEA-ME-WE 4 or SMW-4 (South-East Asia – Middle East – Western Europe 4) and SEA-ME-WE 5 submarine cable systems. The landing site of the SMW-4 Bangladesh branch is located in Cox's Bazar and the landing site of the SMW-5 Bangladesh branch is located in Kuakata. The two submarine cables provide the country with redundancy to support uninterrupted internet and long-distance communications and also with a huge bandwidth. Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited is the only submarine cable operator in Bangladesh. [19]
Telecommunications in Burkina Faso include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.
Nepal's telecommunication network has increased over the years significantly, with the number of telephone users reaching 40,789,198 as of 14 May 2019.
Telecommunications in the Philippines are well-developed due to the presence of modern infrastructure facilities. The industry was deregulated in 1995 when President Fidel Ramos signed Republic Act No. 7925. This law opened the sector to more private players and improved the provision of telecom services are better and fairer rates, leading to the creation of many telecommunication service providers for mobile, fixed-line, Internet and other services.
Telecommunications in Tanzania include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet available in mainland Tanzania and the semiautonomous Zanzibar archipelago.
Modern telecommunications in Thailand began in 1875 with the deployment of the first telegraph service. Historically, the development of telecommunication networks in Thailand were in the hands of the public sector. Government organisations were established to provide telegraph, telephone, radio, and television services, and other government agencies, especially the military, still control a large estate of radio and television spectra. Private telecommunication operators initially acquired concession agreements with state enterprises. For mobile phone services, all the concessions have been amended by successive government to last 25 years have gradually ended in 2015. For other services, the concession terms and conditions vary, ranging from one to fifteen years. Nearly all of the concessions are build-operate-transfer (BTO) contracts. The private investor has to build all the required facilities and transfer them to the state before they can operate or offer services to public.
The country calling code of Bangladesh is +880.
Warid Telecom International was an Emirati telecommunications company that was active in Bangladesh, Georgia, Congo, Pakistan, and Uganda before its divestment.
Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Limited, was the oldest mobile operator of Bangladesh. It was the 1st mobile operator company in Bangladesh and one of the pioneering telecommunications network companies in South Asia, along with Etisalat of Sri Lanka and Paktel of Pakistan. Former BNP leader & former foreign minister M Morshed Khan is the founder chairman of PBTL & Citycell.It was the only mobile operator in the country using CDMA and EVDO technology. Citycell's total mobile subscriber base was 0.142 million as of August 2016. The ownership structure of Citycell was divided amongst SingTel (44.54%), Pacific Motors (37.95%) and Far East Telecom (17.51%). It was the smallest mobile operator of Bangladesh in terms of subscribers. In 2016, it ceased operations, due to the firms inability to pay dues ordered by the BTRC in 2016.
Banglalink Digital Communications Ltd., d.b.a. Banglalink is a Dutch-owned telecommunications company headquartered in Gulshan-1, Dhaka. It is the third-largest mobile network operator in Bangladesh and a fully-owned company of Telecom Ventures Ltd., a 100% owned subsidiary of Global Telecom Holding Ltd. VEON owns 51.9% shares of Global Telecom Holding following a business combination between VEON Ltd. and Wind Telecom S.p.A. in April 2011.
Bangladesh Teletalk Public Limited Company DBA Teletalk is a state-owned mobile phone operator in Bangladesh. It started operating in 2004. As of August 2021, Teletalk had a subscriber base of 6.27 million.
Airtel is a telecom sub-brand of Robi Axiata in Bangladesh, which was managed by Bharti Airtel under the banner, 'Airtel Bangladesh Limited' until November 2016. In November 2016, Airtel merged its operations with Robi Axiata Limited. Following the merger, Airtel remained as a product brand of Robi Axiata Ltd. in Bangladesh. Since then, Robi Axiata is the brand licensing holder for Airtel brand in Bangladesh. Previously Airtel Bangladesh acquired Warid Bangladesh in 2010. After the merge, Robi Axiata marketed Airtel as "the #1 network of friends" targeting the youth.
The Internet in Bangladesh has witnessed significant growth despite facing many constraints in expanding Internet access and use, development of the Internet and Information Technology are high government priorities. In March 2021, Internet users in Bangladesh increased to 116 million. On 19 February 2018, Bangladesh started the 4G network service.
BTCL or Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited is the largest telecommunications company in Bangladesh. The company was founded as the Bangladesh Telegraph & Telephone Board (BTTB) following Bangladesh's independence in 1971. On 1 July 2008, the BTTB became a public limited company and was renamed as BTCL. The Bangladesh government initially owned all BTCL shares, but stated it would sell the shares to the public the following year. The estimated value of BTCL is ৳15,000 crore. BTCL has a total of 12,636 officials and staff.
Peoples Telecommunication & Information Services Ltd., doing business as (PeoplesTel) (Bengali: পিপলসটেল), is a Bangladeshi fixed line operator. It is a private public switched telephone network (PSTN) operator, ISP and Hosted Call Centre Service Provider in Bangladesh.in end of the 2023 few People'sTel assets sold to Etisalat
RanksTel is a Bangladeshi telecommunications company. It is a private public switched telephone network (PSTN) operator in Bangladesh, and nation's second largest PSTN operator.in end of the 2023 many few Rankstel assets was sold to BSNL Mobile
3G mobile telephony was relatively slow to be adopted globally. In some instances, 3G networks do not use the same radio frequencies as 2G so mobile operators must build entirely new networks and license entirely new frequencies, especially so to achieve high data transmission rates. Other delays were due to the expenses of upgrading transmission hardware, especially for UMTS, whose deployment required the replacement of most broadcast towers. Due to these issues and difficulties with deployment, many carriers delayed acquisition of these updated capabilities.
The Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology is a Bangladeshi government ministry. It contains two divisions. It was formed on 10 February 2014, following the general election in January 2014.
The Posts and Telecommunications Division is the government department responsible for post and telecommunication under the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology in Bangladesh and is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Link3 Technologies Ltd also known as Link3, is an IT and internet company based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Md Jahurul Haque is a former district and sessions judge who was the commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission and former chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission. He is the former Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge.