BTRC to fix guidelines on active sharing to ensure quality of service
TAREQUE MORETAZA
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has decided to prepare a set of guidelines on active sharing in the telecommunications sector to ensure quality of service (QoS).
After reviewing the report of the regulatory agency that was constituted on February 15, the decision was taken at the commissions 207th meeting to determine the feasibility of sharing an active infrastructure.
Active sharing entails the sharing of electronic infrastructure. The concept of spectrum sharing (also called frequency sharing) is based on a lease model and is often called spectrum trading. An operator can lease a part of its spectrum to another operator on commercial terms.
BTRC chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood told The Independent that the commission has taken the initiative to ensure quality of service.
Mahmood also said the engineering and operations (EO) division was instructed at the commissions meeting to prepare guidelines to constitute the committee.
It was suggested during the speech session that permission on active sharing of spectrum should not be issued now so as to verify the feasibility of sharing an active infrastructure.
The committee said apart from the spectrum, all other frameworks can be shared. Under this, mobile phone tower (BTS), equipment required to receive and deliver calls and for data transfer, such as Node B, Node E, antenna, feeder cable, RAN and microwave radio equipment, should be permitted to be shared.
They also discussed ensuring optical fibre-sharing among the NTTN operators. This will help solve problems in respect of optical fibres for making fast 4G service reachable to clients.
Mahmood told The Independent: We want to avail all available opportunities to ensure quality of service. Weve already set up a lab and imported necessary equipment to monitor the quality of service.
He said five out of every six persons use mobile phones, adding that the BTRC was determined to ensure the quality of service for mobile phone users.
Moreover, the telecom regulator has also taken steps to formulate QoS guidelines, but the mobile phone operators in the country have failed to ensure the QoS to satisfy their customers.
The BTRC had earlier introduced a helpline to receive the complaints of mobile phone users.
The short code 2872 will be available to subscribers from 9am to 5pm. Customers can lodge complaints with the telecom regulator by dialling 2872 if they fail to get any remedy from any operator.
At present, subscribers can file complaints against any operator on the regulators website or by sending an e-mail to BTRC.
