Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) yesterday handed over licence to Dhaka Telecom Company Ltd to launch fixed line telephones in four zones of the country.

BTRC Chairman Syed Marghub Murshed handed over the licence to Dhaka Telecom Chairman ATM Hayatuzzaman Khan at a function held at BTRC office yesterday.

Dhaka Telecom will start installing land phones in Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi and Khulna zones early next year.

The telecom watchdog earlier gave fixed phone licences to nine companies under government's public switched a network (PSTN) licensing regime. Seven more companies are waiting for the commission's nod to get licence.

A high official of BTRC said the commission has approved the PSTN licences of the seven companies and will hand them over soon.

Speaking at the function, the BTRC chief said the private operators would increase the number of telephone users through covering every nook and cranny of the country offering an affordable rate.

Asked about the number of PSTN licensee, the Dhaka Telecom chairman said, "The more companies are in market, the more is the competition. Such competition will improve service and benefit the subscribers."

BTRC Commissioner Khondker Md Abu Bakar, Director of Dhaka Telecom Rashedur Rahman Shahin and other high officials were also present at the function.

At present, Dhaka zone has been kept off-limit to licensing regime due to a pending dispute with the WorldTel Bangladesh Limited, which obtained a licence in July 2001 to run PSTN service in the zone with the state-owned Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB). But all the licensees have sought licence for the Dhaka zones.

According to the licence rules, the companies will have to launch service within one year of getting the licence. Otherwise the companies will suffer monetary punishment. Although some companies have made good progress in infrastructure development, they are yet to start the land phone operations, monopolised by state-run BTTB.