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BTRC to discipline rogue ISPs

Telecom regulator sits today

Star Business Report
The telecom regulator has moved to legalise about 500 unauthorised internet service providers (ISPs) that serve broadband connections mainly to home users.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission said it would solve legal setbacks by the end of August. BTRC sits today with all stakeholders to form a committee seeking feedback on how to bring the unauthorised ISPs into a legal framework.
The BTRC move came at a time, when the rogue ISPs were questioned repeatedly by different stakeholders -- from bandwidth providers to internet users.
"We are working to form a policy on how these illegal ISPs can continue their business under a legal framework," Manzurul Alam, chairman of BTRC, told The Daily Star on Thursday.
The BTRC chief said his commission has no plan to launch a drive against the illicit ISPs as he said the providers
connect people at the homeuserlevel.
Asked to explain BTRC's licensing plan, the former army officer said the commission intended to issue new licences for the illegal service providers.
But the entrepreneurs of unlicensed ISPs said they were not financially capable of running their businesses by paying "hefty" annual fees.
In line with BTRC's data communication service policy, ISPs have to pay 1 lakh for licences in Dhaka, whereas renewal fees have been fixed at Tk 50,000. ISPs outside Dhaka have to pay Tk 30,000 in licence fees and Tk 10,000 in renewal fees.
A total of 70 authorised ISPs, out of200 licensees, are operat-ing mainly in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet. The country's total internet home use subscription is about 7.5 lakh, with about 6 lakh connections provided by unauthorised ISPs.
According to Bangladesh Cable Internet Operators Association (BCIOA), more than 500 unauthorised ISPs operate in Dhaka, with about 1,000 across the country.
The unauthorised ISPs run their business, mostly leasing bandwidth from big ISPs.
Bangladesh's broadband market has become more attractive to home users, thanks to a more than 35 percent cut in internet bandwidth prices in June.
Earlier in a separate move, the government cut bandwidth costs from 20 percent to 40 percent in February.
"We oppose BTRC's move on licensing," said Fuad M Sharaf Uddin, president of BCIOA, an association of unlicensed ISPs.
"Unauthorised ISPs look very big in terms of numbers. But we are very small in terms of revenue."
Citing an example, Fuad said his company Fissa
Communication's primary investment was Tk 12 lakh. "I have to spend more for damage control in times of natural disasters. Returns of a small operator like mine are very small at the end of the day and not enough for us to go big."
Asked how they can operate legally, he said: "BTRC should tie us with big legal ISPs so that we can provide services for users as we are doing now. ”
Unauthorised ISPs should operate on a third-party licence with a minimum annual fee, Fuad stressed.
Internet Service Providers Association Bangladesh (ISPAB) differed.
MA Salam, president of ISPAB, said every business should go through a legal framework. "BTRC should bring them into an existing licensing procedure to create a level-playing field in the broad-band market."
"Whatever the stakeholders say the BTRC will make a policy in a way so that internet users can benefit to the maximum," said the BTRC chairman.
hasan@thedailystar.net