The introduction of 4G will open the door to a whole new world of services to the citizens of Bangladesh. But the combination of high fees for the needed airwaves and the world's lowest average revenue per user threatens this bright future.
Mobile networks have become integrated with the everyday lives of over 5 billion people around the world. Mobile helps us keep in touch with friends and family, stay on top of work, monitor our health, manage our homes and businesses, conduct financial transactions, and so much more.
Thanks to increasingly affordable smartphones, Bangladesh has a golden opportunity to get more people connected in more meaningful ways. And along with other countries in the region, including Pakistan and Vietnam, Bangladesh is expected to see rapid smartphone growth over the next few years.
But to go from expectation to reality, the government has an important role to play. It sets the rules and policies that govern access to a key ingredient of mobile networks, access to spectrum licences. These rules include setting the fees that mobile operators must pay for licences.
The Digital Bangladesh vision bets on digital technology to bridge developmental gaps through improved productivity and financial access for SMEs, agricultural businesses and rural enterprises. Spectrum fees that are unduly high, however, put Digital Bangladesh at risk. The GSMA recently published a research report titled 'Effective Spectrum Pricing' that analyses 325 spectrum auction awards between 2000 and 2016 across 60 countries and provides evidence that links high spectrum prices with lower quality networks and more expensive mobile broadband services.
http://www.thedailystar.net/business/bangladesh-needs-affordable-4g-now-1441753
Bangladesh by being an extension of India would have benefitted from such economic development rather than going alone.
Mobile networks have become integrated with the everyday lives of over 5 billion people around the world. Mobile helps us keep in touch with friends and family, stay on top of work, monitor our health, manage our homes and businesses, conduct financial transactions, and so much more.
Thanks to increasingly affordable smartphones, Bangladesh has a golden opportunity to get more people connected in more meaningful ways. And along with other countries in the region, including Pakistan and Vietnam, Bangladesh is expected to see rapid smartphone growth over the next few years.
But to go from expectation to reality, the government has an important role to play. It sets the rules and policies that govern access to a key ingredient of mobile networks, access to spectrum licences. These rules include setting the fees that mobile operators must pay for licences.
The Digital Bangladesh vision bets on digital technology to bridge developmental gaps through improved productivity and financial access for SMEs, agricultural businesses and rural enterprises. Spectrum fees that are unduly high, however, put Digital Bangladesh at risk. The GSMA recently published a research report titled 'Effective Spectrum Pricing' that analyses 325 spectrum auction awards between 2000 and 2016 across 60 countries and provides evidence that links high spectrum prices with lower quality networks and more expensive mobile broadband services.
http://www.thedailystar.net/business/bangladesh-needs-affordable-4g-now-1441753
Bangladesh by being an extension of India would have benefitted from such economic development rather than going alone.
