BTRC earns Tk10,000cr in FY14

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) collected Tk10,016 crore as government revenue in the fiscal year 2013-14, which is nearly double compared to the earning one year ago.

The collection was driven by spectrum fee for newly launched third generation mobile broadband, second generation licence renewal fee and revenue sharing of the operators along with other fees, according to the regulator sources.

In FY2012-13, the BTRC received Tk5,404 crore from operators.

Of the amount collected in the just concluded fiscal, BTRC which earns the highest non-tax revenue for government has deposited Tk9,722 crore to Bangladesh Bank.

The telecom watchdog officials.The collection would be further boosted if the operators paid outstanding revenues.

Teletalk, the state-owned mobile operator, paid only Tk60 crore for 3G licence fees although the total fee was Tk1,627 crore. Other four private mobile operators paid Tk4,250 crore for 3G spectrum.

However, the telecom market analysts said although the regulator earned a huge sum, it could not facilitate the market. They said the market expansion has been slow and the regulator has no control over it.

“It is a natural cash flow and there is no credit to BTRC from here to collect this huge amount of money. Rather BTRC should spend more money for hiring telecom experts. Only the professionals should lead this sector,” said Abu Saeed Khan, a senior policy fellow of the Colombo-based regulatory think-tank LIRNEasia and a former secretary of Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (Amtob).

BTRC should expand its service and physical presence across the country, he added. The collection in the last fiscal year exceeded the target of Tk9,398 crore.

In the first six months of the year, BTRC got Tk6,126 crore revenue, said the regulator sources.