Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) earns around $1.23 billion or Tk106.45 billion by auctioning 190MHz 5G spectrums that power latest telephony.
However, 30 MHz, out of total 220 MHz on sale, remained unsold at the auction as BTRC was planning to sell 100 MHz at 2.3 GHz bands and 120 MHz at 2.6 GHz bands.
This happens to be the highest-ever amount BTRC has earned from spectrum sales following last year's Tk76.34 billion received by assigning a total of 27.4MHz spectrum from 1800MHz and 2100MHz bands.
Grameenphone (GP) and Robi acquired the highest 60MHz spectrum each from 2.6GHz bands for about Tk 33.60 billion at the auction held Thursday in a city hotel.
State-owned telecom operator Teletalk obtained 30MHz from 2.3GHz bands for about Tk 16.80 billion. However, the government earlier had allocated 60 MHz from 3.5 GHz bands to the operator to launch 5G services on a pilot basis last year.
The third-largest operator, Banglalink, booked 40MHz from 2.3GMHz bands at the auction.
Operators have to pay 10 per cent of the total purchase price within 60 days of the announcement of the final auction results, while the remaining 90 per cent will be paid off in equal instalments over 9 years.
BTRC Engineering and Operations Commissioner Engineer Md Mohiuddin Ahmed presided over the auction session, which was conducted by Director of Systems and Services Brig-General Nasim Parvez, Director-General of the Spectrum Division Brig-General Md Moniruzzaman Jewel, Director Md Sohail Rana and Lt Colonel Md Awal Uddin.
Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar was present at the auction.
Speaking at the gathering, Mr Jabbar urged the telecoms regulator to be open to selling unsold 30 MHz if any operator is interested.
He expressed the hope that with the new spectrums, the operators would be able "to improve their network and the quality of service".
In a notice published by BTRC on 3 March, the regulatory body had instructed all telecoms operators to begin test runs for the 5G spectrum within six months of the auction.
With this acquisition, Grameenphone now holds the top position in all bands with107.4MHz spectrum while the second-largest operator holds 104 MHz.
In a statement, Grameenphone firmly commits to giving customers the best possible experience by acquiring the maximum allowable 60 MHz of the spectrum at the auction.
Yasir Azman, CEO of Grameenphone, commented, "Through this auction, the government has taken another step towards realising Digital Bangladesh."
This also shows the government's dedication to providing quality connectivity, said Mr Yasir, adding that the move came at a time when Grameenphone celebrates 25 years of connecting people to possibilities in Bangladesh.
The CEO says 4G technology would continue to be the primary technology, enabling Bangladesh to reach its full digital potential.
Looking to the future, through this spectrum acquisition, Grameenphone has demonstrated its commitment to building on its technology leadership by testing 5G, he adds.
Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer of Robi Axiata Ltd, said, "We are very happy to have secured 60 MHZ in 2600 MHz spectrum band from the auction today.
"We believe, addition of this spectrum to our network will improve our Quality of Services (QoS) significantly and help our customers to experience better digital services."
Banglalink remains the top private operator in the country in terms of spectrum per customer, following the acquisition of 40 MHz spectrum at the spectrum auction.
The newly acquired 40 MHz spectrum from the 2300 MHz band increases Banglalink's spectrum holding by 100 per cent. Banglalink's total spectrum holding now stands at 80 MHz.
Erik Aas, chief executive officer of Banglalink, said, " In keeping with our objective - 4G for all, not 5G for a few-we intend to utilize the new spectrum primarily for 4G in next 2-3 years."
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