ABDULLAH MAMUN
Dhaka, Jan 22: If an e-mail thrown from a student of Dhaka University to a student of Jahangirnagar University the mail would round the world first and than to its destination. The mail would go to the host Internet service providers (ISP) server to America via Singapore through one or more submarine cable/s. As the distance is a huge and a lot of hubs have been used in the route the time and money, both also be added accordingly. And of course as the submarine cable is being used in the route the payment would be in foreign exchange. On the other hand if the ISPs, DU and JU end, were linked than the mail would reach the pathway within a fraction of a second, the mail would not traveled all over the world.
The second solution is going to be implemented in Bangladesh ’s telecommunication sector. All the ISPs would be linked by a national internet exchange (NIX).
India builds its NIX system in 2003 having seven operational nodes in the country. The NIX is a non-profit organization and charge is given by the ISPs.
Recently Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has taken initiative to build NIXs in the country to connect the ISPs. The draft guidelines have been submitted to the ministry of post and telecommunication (MoPT) as the ministry is the final authority to provide licences to any telecommunication entity according to the telecommunication ACT 2010. After considering the feed back of the concern stakeholders the guidelines would be finalized.
Recently in a press conference BTRC chairman Maj. Gen (retd.) Zia Ahmed said that the draft guidelines of NIX have been send to the ministry.
According to the draft guidelines, the objectives of establishing NIX are to route domestic Internet traffic. It will facilitate local content development, encourage local web hosting and reduce latency in domestic traffic and thereby saving international bandwidth and foreign currency.
These Guidelines are intended to provide an overview of the regulatory framework to develop, build, own, maintain and operate NIX in Bangladesh . No person or business entity shall be allowed to develop, build, own, operate and maintain NIX without licence, says the draft. The number of license shall not be limited. The Government may decide to award more NIX licenses considering the need of telecom sector at any time, according to the draft.
The draft permits International Internet Gateway (IIG) licensees should provide NIX services as per their licensing conditions. The Terms of Reference of these Guidelines is also applicable to IIG Licensees for providing NIX services. But the ISP people oppose the BTRC’s stand. According to the ISP people the international gateway is responsible for overseas data termination, not for domestic data termination.
The former general secretary of ISP Association Sumon Ahmed Sabir said to The Independent, the main ISPs of the country is already connected through their own initiative.
BTRC slashes bandwidth prices by 31pc
Md Fazlur Rahman
The telecom regulator has reduced the monthly rental bandwidth price for leased internet access through submarine cable by one-third to spread the communication services among the masses.
The monthly rental bandwidth price for leased internet access through submarine cable will be a maximum of Tk 12,000 per Mbps, said Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in a circular on Tuesday.
There are more than 80 lakh internet users in the country, which will soon cross the one-crore mark, keeping pace with the boom of mobile users, according to BTRC.
Internet services providers said the internet users should get 20 percent extra bandwidth due to a 31 percent decrease in bandwidth prices.
“But it is difficult to say now how much the end-users will be benefited, as our operation and other associated costs will remain the same,” said Rashed Amin Biddut, joint secretary general of Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh.
The association will sit today to discuss the issue, he said, adding that the benefit would not be so high for the internet users if they pass on the amount of money they are paying to the industry regulator to get connected with Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN).
“Each ISP is paying between Tk 12 lakh to Tk 25 lakh to be connected with underground network to operate services in the capital. We have no other way but to pass the costs onto the customers,” Biddut told The Daily Star.
This is the second time the present government has decreased the prices of bandwidth to spread uses of information and communication technology under its Digital Bangladesh vision. It brought down the prices to Tk 17,400 from Tk 28,000, soon after coming power in January 2009.
It was Tk 127,000 until 2006, before the caretaker government brought it down further. Industry people said the rate would be brought down to Tk 10,000 per Mbps.
Analysts say the prices should go down further if the government really wants to boost internet penetration.
“Mobile penetration in the country shot up because of its low-cost nature, and also the call charge is much lower. The same can be true for internet penetration,” said Bangladesh Computer Samity President Mustafa Jabber.
Jabber said the impact would be tremendous. “We had been fighting for long to bring bandwidth prices to this level. It’s a good step forward.”
He said the government should give up its mentality of making profit out of everything and cut bandwidth prices further. “The government buys each Mbps at Tk 6,000. They should make profit of maximum Tk 500. If they even give free bandwidth the return will be huge.”
Jabber said internet users using services of Wimax and mobile operators would be particularly benefited. “They hold the majority share of the growing market. It will spur more price war among operators, ultimately benefiting the customers.”
Mobile operators however said the fixing of the price from the regulator is a piecemeal solution and will not be beneficial for the market competition.
Md Fazlur Rahman
The telecom regulator has reduced the monthly rental bandwidth price for leased internet access through submarine cable by one-third to spread the communication services among the masses.
The monthly rental bandwidth price for leased internet access through submarine cable will be a maximum of Tk 12,000 per Mbps, said Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in a circular on Tuesday.
There are more than 80 lakh internet users in the country, which will soon cross the one-crore mark, keeping pace with the boom of mobile users, according to BTRC.
Internet services providers said the internet users should get 20 percent extra bandwidth due to a 31 percent decrease in bandwidth prices.
“But it is difficult to say now how much the end-users will be benefited, as our operation and other associated costs will remain the same,” said Rashed Amin Biddut, joint secretary general of Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh.
The association will sit today to discuss the issue, he said, adding that the benefit would not be so high for the internet users if they pass on the amount of money they are paying to the industry regulator to get connected with Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN).
“Each ISP is paying between Tk 12 lakh to Tk 25 lakh to be connected with underground network to operate services in the capital. We have no other way but to pass the costs onto the customers,” Biddut told The Daily Star.
This is the second time the present government has decreased the prices of bandwidth to spread uses of information and communication technology under its Digital Bangladesh vision. It brought down the prices to Tk 17,400 from Tk 28,000, soon after coming power in January 2009.
It was Tk 127,000 until 2006, before the caretaker government brought it down further. Industry people said the rate would be brought down to Tk 10,000 per Mbps.
Analysts say the prices should go down further if the government really wants to boost internet penetration.
“Mobile penetration in the country shot up because of its low-cost nature, and also the call charge is much lower. The same can be true for internet penetration,” said Bangladesh Computer Samity President Mustafa Jabber.
Jabber said the impact would be tremendous. “We had been fighting for long to bring bandwidth prices to this level. It’s a good step forward.”
He said the government should give up its mentality of making profit out of everything and cut bandwidth prices further. “The government buys each Mbps at Tk 6,000. They should make profit of maximum Tk 500. If they even give free bandwidth the return will be huge.”
Jabber said internet users using services of Wimax and mobile operators would be particularly benefited. “They hold the majority share of the growing market. It will spur more price war among operators, ultimately benefiting the customers.”
Mobile operators however said the fixing of the price from the regulator is a piecemeal solution and will not be beneficial for the market competition.
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