Speakers at a discussion on Tuesday called for increased tower-sharing between companies to improve mobile network quality and tackle the shortage of towers.
They stressed on installing solar panels on towers and strengthening cross-border policies to maintain network coverage at borders.
Bangladesh Mobile Phone Consumers' Association (BMPCA) organised the discussion event titled “Actions to Address Tower Shortages for Mobile Network Improvement” at the Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah hall in the National Press Club.
Mohiuddin Ahmed, president of BMPCA, chaired the event, while senior officials from different mobile operators, tower installation companies and tower service providers were present.
Masuda Hossain, associate director of edotco Bangladesh Co Ltd, said in her presentation, “Each customer currently uses six gigabytes (GB) of data per month and this will rise to 17 GB in the next four years. To meet this demand, we need 12,000 more towers on top of the existing 44,000.”
She urged for easier equipment imports and a five-year duty-free benefit, adding, “We must also simplify the process of obtaining No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to expedite tower construction.”
Engineer BM Majibor Rahman, managing director of Solar Electro Bangladesh Ltd, emphasised the use of vertical models for installing solar panels on towers. “If we use lithium phosphate and lithium-ion batteries, these solar installations will provide long-term support,” he said.
Abdul Baten Khan, representing the tower contractors, expressed frustration over financial issues. “We have invested around Tk 200 crore, but Tk 150 crore is stuck with Frontier Technology. We were supposed to receive payment within 21 days, but after six months, we are still waiting. Grameenphone (GP) and Frontier are withholding our money.”
“Complaints to the BTRC have been fruitless. If we are forced to take a hard stance, do not hold us responsible,” he warned.
In response, Hossain Sadat, senior director of Corporate Affairs at Grameenphone, advised telecom companies to consider long-term investments. He clarified, "We cannot assume legal responsibility for Frontier’s liabilities. They have not been able to fulfil more than 60 per cent of the contracted work. While they have apologised, we too are accountable to our investors, and we cannot act swiftly on all issues."
He further said that BTRC regulations limit rollouts with a single tower company to 30 per cent.
Sadat also noted that there is no legal recourse available for tower vendors, and it remains impossible to set up towers in many areas of Dhaka city.
Commenting on the reluctance to share towers, Robi’s Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer Mohammed Shahedul Alam said that premature competition in the sector, introduced before it matured, is hindering the industry's objectives. "In this case, the cart has been placed before the horse," he remarked.
On the issue of idle bandwidth, Shahedul explained that when purchasing bandwidth, it must be allocated based on a 24-hour calculation, particularly during peak hours. He noted that bandwidth cannot be held indefinitely, much like electricity. Moreover, deploying unused spectrum requires new technology, which is currently unfeasible to implement.
Chairing the discussion, Mohiuddin Ahmed urged the interim government to address the issue and reform the BTRC.
