BTRC to unveil MNP auction, service roadmap tomorrow

The telecom regulator is going to unveil the auction and service roadmap of the much-talked-about mobile number portability (MNP) tomorrow to materialize the service for country’s mobile phone users.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood would announce the details of MNP guideline, customer services and auction roadmap before the media, said the regulatory body spokesperson and secretary Sarwar Alam today.

The telecom regulator has taken the move after getting final nod from the Prime Minister and also in charge of the ministry of posts, telecommunications and information technology.

Immediately after the approval, State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim had told BSS last month that it`s now turn for the BTRC to organize auction and other necessary process towards appointing MNP operator.

The MNP system enables mobile phone users to move from one network to another within the country’s territory without any change to the original number.

On December 2 last year, the Finance Ministry okayed financial issues involved in the MNP.

Under the system, a conversion to a new operator will charge a fee of Taka 30 each time and cannot be altered within 40 days.

After the bidding process, license will be given to an independent company for 15 years to run the MNP system. The annual license renewal fee will be Taka 20 lakh while the company will have to share 5.5 percent revenue with the BTRC, reports BSS.

Any registered Bangladeshi company can participate in the bidding, but no mobile operators are eligible.

Industry insiders said, ‘Once MNP service is introduced, competition will increase among the operators. Operators will then have to ensure quality of their service to hold existing or attract new subscribers.’

On September 20 last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave her consent on the draft guideline for MNP. The telecommunication division sent the file for approval of the finance ministry in October.

After that telecom division revised the guideline which received final approval recently.

The MNP initiative has been taken to protect customers’ right of choosing operator freely on the basis of satisfaction.

The service will empower mobile users to change their SIM number whenever they want, according to a telecom expert.

The service is already available in around 70 countries across the world, including neighboring India and Pakistan.