Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission is asking the mobile operators to pay Tk. 112 crore (US$16.23 million) for each MHz of 2G spectrum. But the mobile operators don’t want to pay that amount. “Mobile operators once enjoyed frequency benefits free in Bangladesh, but it should not be,” said Major General Manzurul Alam (rtd), chairman of BTRC told the media. “We are not imposing anything on them. Let’s have a talk with them. But they have to understand one thing –spectrum is a national asset and it has a value.” The operators and the regulator are meeting today to settle the issue. Theoretically, the parties will be negotiating a price between zero and $16.23 million per MHz price of spectrum! Read more.
2 Comments
Amar
BTRC and the mobile companies now agreed on the price of 80 crore (US$11.6 million) per megahertz.
Chanuka Wattegama
In principle, I see nothing wrong. More the band, more the subscribers one can serve. Whether it is a national assets or not, I am not too sure, but it is too much for operators to expect additional spectrum free of charge.
They will bargain is about the price. Operators want it least possible and BTRC ulta. They will eventually arrive at a compromise.
LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya at the Launch of State of India’s Digital Economy Report
The ICRIER-PROSUS Center for Internet and Digital Economy (IPCIDE) had its annual conference in New Delhi on the 1st of June 2026 in New Delhi, India. LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya participated in the opening panel and discussed the report.
Harnessing Data for Democratic Development in South and Southeast Asia: South Korea Country Report
This report on data protection in South Korea is part of the “Harnessing Data for Democratic Development in South and Southeast Asia” (D4DAsia) project, which aims, inter alia, to create and mobilize new knowledge about the tensions, gaps, and evolution of the data governance ecosystem, taking into account both formal and informal policies and practices. This report presents a focused case study of South Korea’s evolving data protection framework and its efforts to balance strong privacy protections with data-driven innovation
Harnessing Data for Democratic Development in South and Southeast Asia: Nepal Country Report
This report on data governance in Nepal is part of the “Harnessing Data for Democratic Development in South and Southeast Asia” (D4DAsia) project, which aims, inter alia, to create and mobilize new knowledge about the tensions, gaps, and evolution of the data governance ecosystem, taking into account both formal and informal policies and practices. The report provides an overview of Nepal’s constitutional and governance framework and examines the laws, policies, and institutional arrangements that shape the collection, processing, storage, access, and sharing of data.
Links
User Login
Themes
Social
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
Contact
9A 1/1, Balcombe Place
Colombo 08
Sri Lanka
+94 (0)11 267 1160
+94 (0)11 267 5212
info [at] lirneasia [dot] net
Copyright © 2026 LIRNEasia
a regional ICT policy and regulation think tank active across the Asia Pacific