Base price for 3G spectrum finalised

Bangladesh’s Finance Ministry has approved the final minimum bidding price for 3G spectrum in the country’s upcoming auction of 2100MHz mobile network operating licences. In the auction for 2×40MHz of spectrum, the reserve bidding price per MHz of paired spectrum was set at USD20 million, or equivalent to USD200 million for a 2×10MHz licence. TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database notes that the floor price had been submitted to the Finance Ministry by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MoPT) in October 2012, and is one-third lower than the previously proposed level of USD30 million. There will be a 15% tax on top of all radio spectrum payments. A fifth licence will be awarded to state-run Teletalk, which has already launched 2100MHz 3G services having been granted a period of exclusivity.