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The telecom regulator will not hold price auctions with companies seeking to provide mobile number portability or MNP services, but will handpick a participant through a ‘beauty contest’.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission issued a notice seeking applications on Monday, after an amended MNP guideline was approved by the prime minister and the finance ministry, said BTRC Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood, according to bdnews24.com.
There will be no price auction, he told bdnews24.com. One company will receive a 15-year licence in return for a Tk 100 million fee, he said.
As for the beauty contest, it means a committee will elect the winner after reviewing the financial capacity, technical skills and experiences of the companies that will apply for MNP licence. Beauty contest, a procurement mechanism, is different from price auction.
# Any foreign company can apply for the licence along with any company based in Bangladesh.
# The foreign company that applies for the licence with a Bangladeshi partner cannot have a stake in the business beyond 51 percent. This condition does not apply to non-resident Bangladeshis.
# No mobile operators, their directors, shareholders and partners cannot apply for the licence.
# Applicants must have at least three-year experience in providing MNP services to at least 10 million users in one or multiple countries.
# All applications must be submitted to the chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission before Aug 23.