thanks

You are correct. What BOI has done is the final action which granted the facility for the investment.

But RTEC through its parent company has already secured the license 15 years ago, which is a fully facility based telecommunications system operator license as some one said here the second license after Sri Lanka Telecom.

So there is no need of RTEC to obtain a license or to pay license fee to operate a telecommunication network in Sri Lanka, which they have already done.

Late 2008, They have finally secured the spectrum on 1800 band. They currently owned 1 x 17.5MHz slot and 1 x 7.5MHz.

While the fact is, Airtel been still negotiating with TRC to get a payment plan for the spectrum allocated to them, RTEC has fully paid the total frequency charges upon his allocation.

So its all good news from RTEC point of view how they came through so far. Its just a matter of rolling out a good network and provide a competitive service to customers.

How ever TRC still got major task ahead, to make sure non of these operators wont go bankrupt over night due to continuos fall-down on their income.

hoping to join up with u as soon as the recruitments start…i have been marketing to the domestic & business sectors in sri lanka in the telecom industry for the past 8 years…and i know from A to Z of the operators and there movements throughout ! hoping to hear from you….

Thanks

See Airtel came with a big sound but didn’t give much as every one expected. See how were their commercials, promotions but no free stuff other than incoming. Yes all the other operators also have incoming free. So it is much disapointment & deperation to the people who lefet big debts to the existing networks & hoping to go to Airtel. But they have to pay for minutes with this new operator. Also the advertised charges are only till 31st March thereafter Rs.2.50/= + tax.

So what’s next. Await for the next UK based operator where there will be a huge change taken place as not like Airtel did.

Now, according to the post, what the BOI has given RTEC Mobile is “investment approval” and not a license. The BOI’s official communique says inter alia that “The company has already obtained the required approval to operate from TRC (Telecommunications Regulatory Commission) and expects to commence commercial operations by December 2009.” The question is about this “approval”. Is it a license? When was it granted? Has spectrum been allocated? What was the consideration [given that Airtel is supposed to have paid USD4m]? What was the criteria for selection of RTEC? And many others.

The question is not about individual shareholders of companies in a market but about the principles of governance of these markets without which they become inefficient.

I did not, at any point or in any form, say that the 6th operator should be charged the same fees as charged in Pakistan and others not charged fees. In fact, I showed how in PK the license fee was set by the auction of the 5th and 6th licenses and then those same fees were charged from others at renewal.

In response to someone’s question, I said that pretty much all the licenses issued in Sri Lanka were issued non-transparently. That could be scored as being in favor of the new entrant.

I am explaining how licensing should be done; not making specific recommendations on what should be done about specific licenses in Sri Lanka.

What transparency have in this banana republic.

This must be forwarded to SC too for allowing Abeywardana to act violating the fundamental rights of Malasians and Americans in Sri Lankla