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 UNDP conference on New Ways of Governing
LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya attended UNDP’s New Ways of Governing Conference in Oslo on 28–29 October 2025, contributing to discussions on AI and data governance. Her session drew on LIRNEasia’s research on data-governance policies across Asia and the organisation’s ongoing work on responsible AI.
LIRNEasia Insights on Disaster Management: The Resilience of ICT Infrastructure During Disasters
Natural disasters and humanitarian crises often create disorder and panic. While basic needs such as food, clean water, and shelter often take priority, access to accurate information helps calm societal turbulence.
LIRNEasia Research Fellow Ashwini Natesan at Media Forward 2025
Media Forward 2025 was held from 24–26 November 2025 in Colombo, organised by UNDP Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Broadcasters’ Guild, Hashtag Generation, Factum, Verité Media and Politics, the Media Law Forum, the Free Media Movement, and the Sri Lanka Digital Journalists’ Association. LIRNEasia Research Fellow Ashwini Natesan joined as a panelist for the first session of the event, titled ‘Strengthening Coordination and Shared Accountability in Digital Spaces’.
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 © 2025 LIRNEasia
a regional ICT policy and regulation think tank active across the Asia Pacific