Network sharing: Israel, India and Bangladesh


Posted on December 11, 2013  /  1 Comments

Fierce competition has prompted the operators in Israel to jointly build 4G networks, according to Reuters:

Under the deal, the three operators will cooperate in obtaining frequencies for the 4G network, which will be built and operated by a newly created entity equally owned by Cellcom and Pelephone.

Each operator will be required to purchase and operate its own core network and costs will be divided equally among the three operators, subject to certain conditions and limitations set in the agreement, which is for 15 years.

Subsequently Reuters has also reported that Reliance and Airtel have agreed to do the same in India. In fact, they have widened the scope of sharing way beyond the mobile networks.

The two companies will share inter and intra-city optic fibre network, submarine cable networks, towers and internet broadband services.

The arrangement may be extended in future to roaming services on 2G, 3G and 4G platforms, and any other mutually benefiting areas relating to telecommunication, the two companies said.

In Bangladesh, the operators were sharing each other’s transmission networks since 2009. The regulator has, however, banned it on July 7, 2011. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has engaged few brokers in disguise through Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network or NTTN license to deal with all sorts of transmission businesses.

This regulatory decree has outright violated the foreign investment law as well as the telecoms law. The mobile operators have reacted sharply (Scan copy of letter to MOPT Secretary). The Internet Service Providers of Bangladesh (ISPAB) have also strongly denounced it (ISPAB letter to MOPT.) But the BTRC remains unmoved.

This is how vested interest triumphs over the national interest in Bangladesh.

1 Comment


  1. In Bangldesh Updat , Good news is after 4 yeas realization , BTRC thinking to open up this licence for all who will be interested , specially it was really hinderence for mobile operatore growth .. we have to keep in mind the strength mobileoperators have been shown interm of invesment and execution that is unparallel in any industry , so it wil b wise to use that strength countries development …