"We are at the final stage to set modalities and hope to seek proposals by next week," Chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Syed Marghub Murshed told The Daily Star yesterday.

The cabinet on November 10 last year gave the go-ahead to legalisation of internet telephony, popularly known as VoIP (voice-over internet protocol), aimed at reducing international call rates.

Introduction of the internet telephony will drastically cut overseas call charges and enable value-added services such as call centres, video conferencing and tele-medicine, industry stakeholders say.

The BTRC would hold its final meeting on the VoIP on May 6 to lay down the licensing criteria for seeking proposals, officials said.

Asked why it took six months to set criteria, the BTRC chairman blamed the delay on difference of opinion between the state-owned telecoms monopoly Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) and private operators over setting up of an internet exchange for the VoIP traffic.

BTTB had been pursuing for the exchange on anticipation of its revenue loss, but private operators were reluctant about the exchange and preferred call termination via VSAT (very small aperture terminals).

"We have resolved the problem after discussing the issue with the prime minister at a meeting of the national ICT taskforce," Murshed said. Now there will be no internet exchange before connecting the country with the information superhighway via undersea cables, he added.

Grameen Bank Managing Director Prof Muhammad Yunus and Vice-chancellor of Brac (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) University Prof Jamilur Reza Chowdhury are among the proponents of the idea as they believe Bangladesh's internet traffic would ultimately be diverted via the transcontinental submarine cables once the country gets hooked to the information superhighway.

BTTB introduced VoIP to generate calls to 10 countries without licence, a move that private operators say is against BTRC's level-playing field concept.