Govt earns Tk 2,370cr as Grameenphone bags 700 MHz spectrum

Grameenphone has secured 10 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum in the 700 MHz band, marking the first-ever allocation of this low-band frequency to a mobile operator in Bangladesh.

As the spectrum was assigned at the base price, the government will earn Tk 2,370 crore from the allocation of 10 MHz, with the per-megahertz price set at Tk 237 crore.

The allocation was approved today at a meeting of the Spectrum Auction Committee and the Spectrum Management Committee, said Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Major General (retd) Md Emdad ul Bari.

The 700 MHz band is valued for its ability to cover wide areas and penetrate buildings more effectively, making it suitable for improving indoor coverage and rural connectivity.

With this decision, Bangladesh formally begins use of the 700 MHz band for mobile broadband services, a move long seen as crucial for improving nationwide network coverage and service quality.

Grameenphone was the only operator to participate in the auction. Anticipating a single-bidder scenario, the BTRC revised its auction rules earlier this month, reducing the maximum spectrum acquisition limit for a single operator from 15 MHz to 10 MHz out of a total 25 MHz.

The regulator said the move was aimed at safeguarding competition and ensuring that spectrum remains available for other operators in the future.

The development follows the decision by Robi Axiata to withdraw from the auction, citing a mismatch between the auction timing and its current network priorities. Banglalink and state-owned Teletalk did not participate.

Despite limited participation, the BTRC decided to proceed, noting that preparations for the auction had been underway since 2024. The regulator also indicated that Robi had sought spectrum in a different band, which may be considered later.

Tanveer Mohammad, chief corporate affairs officer of Grameenphone, said the operator holds a limited amount of low-band spectrum relative to its subscriber base and that securing the 700 MHz band was essential to meet growing data demand.

However, challenges remain, as 20 MHz of the band is still tied up in a long-running legal dispute between the BTRC and broadband service provider Always On Network.