Grameenphone says Bangladesh licence-renewal scheme costly

Bangladeshi operator Grameenphone's head has warned that the government's proposed licence-renewal scheme is so costly that the operator would be forced to put its investment in a high-speed mobile data network on hold for up to five years, reports The Daily Star. A postponement of a 3G rollout in the country by the telecommunication market leader, with 29 million subscribers, is all but certain unless its 2011 fees, estimated at BDT 70 billion are reduced, said CEO Oddvar Hesjedal. There will be no money left for further investment after defraying licence-renewal expenses, the CEO said in an interview, so he would ask the government to postpone 3G licensing for five years. Domestic banks will not even be able to disburse this much money to the operators, as they are limited to USD 250 million in loans to a single sector per year, he added.