The government has taken initiatives to formulate guidelines for the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to make broadband internet available everywhere in the country at affordable price, said officials. They said the telecom regulator has already prepared a draft of the guidelines titled “Regulatory and Licensing Guidelines for Internet Service Providers” keeping provision for sharing infrastructure among the ISPs.
The telecom regulator-Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) — has already sent the draft of the guidelines to the Post and Telecommunications Division (PTD) of the Ministry of Post, Telecommunications and Information Technology for final approval.
Talking to BSS, PTD secretary Abubakar Siddique said they are formulating the guidelines to ensure quality of internet service for the end users.
“The guidelines will be time befitting so that the ISPs are compelled to offer quality broadband connection with affordable price to the users,” he added.
Mentioning the reduction of bandwidth price, the secretary said: “The government has trimmed the bandwidth price drastically but the end users could not avail its benefit as the ISPs are not abiding by the law.”
At present, global statistic shows nearly 80 per cent revenue is being generated from the data communication while rest 20 per cent is coming from voice call.
Officials said the ISPs, under the new guidelines, will get opportunity to establish next generation (NGN) based infrastructure across the country.
The guidelines will also allow them to share the network with other ISPs, as there will be obligation to offer the services for the regional ISPs so that the ISPs limit their service to specific areas.
The NGN-based network will bring scope for the users to enjoy IPTV services alongside the IP phone and internet through a single connection.
Officials said the field of internet service has been widened through the operation of the WiMAX and IP phone, which is also being now boosted for 3G services, offered by the Cellular phone operators. In addition, the government has trimmed the bandwidth price drastically.
But, the ISPs globally are the spearhead for broadband connection.
ISPs have to extend internet connection to remote areas in the country after the enactment of the guidelines, the officials added.
According to the Association of Internet Service Providers of Bangladesh, at present 65 ISPs is offering internet service in the country.
Data of telecom regulator shows, now nearly 4 crore people are using internet in the country, of which over 12 lakh people are availing internet connection from ISPs and fixed phone operators.
