Business Desk :
The Airtel Bangladesh Ltd, which merged with Robi in 2016, is set to lose its 2G licence in December this year, when its validity for 15 years will expire.
Unless the operator renews the licence, The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) will revoke 11.6 megahertz (MHz) from the company’s spectrum following the expiration date of December 19.
Confirming the matter, a BTRC source told that if Robi – which has been running Airtel since the merger – does not renew the 2G licence in time, a large number of its customers might suffer from poor service, such as call drops and slower mobile internet.
Telecom operators usually apply for a renewal of the licence three months ahead of the expiration date.
The Airtel’s 2G license holds 11.6 MHz spectrum from the E-GSM-900 MHz and GSM 1800 MHz Band. After expiration of the license, the BTRC will take back the spectrum from Airtel’s system.
Stating that the company has not yet started working on the issue, Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer of Robi, Shahed Alam, told The Business Standard, “Airtel’s license will expire in December. So, we still have not thought about it.”
The Airtel Bangladesh Ltd, which merged with Robi in 2016, is set to lose its 2G licence in December this year, when its validity for 15 years will expire.
Unless the operator renews the licence, The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) will revoke 11.6 megahertz (MHz) from the company’s spectrum following the expiration date of December 19.
Confirming the matter, a BTRC source told that if Robi – which has been running Airtel since the merger – does not renew the 2G licence in time, a large number of its customers might suffer from poor service, such as call drops and slower mobile internet.
Telecom operators usually apply for a renewal of the licence three months ahead of the expiration date.
The Airtel’s 2G license holds 11.6 MHz spectrum from the E-GSM-900 MHz and GSM 1800 MHz Band. After expiration of the license, the BTRC will take back the spectrum from Airtel’s system.
Stating that the company has not yet started working on the issue, Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer of Robi, Shahed Alam, told The Business Standard, “Airtel’s license will expire in December. So, we still have not thought about it.”
