Ranks Telecom Ltd. (RanksTel), a sister concern of the Rangs Group, plans to launch a Tk 2.0 billion public switched telecom network (PSTN) aims at introducing land phone services in the country. The RanksTel is among 11 companies in the private sector vying for a share in the country's land phone business to end the monopoly of the state-owned Bangladesh Telephone and Telegraph Board (BTTB). "We will invest around Tk 200 crore to launch the PSTN services by March next," Rangs Group Chairman A Rouf Chowdhury said Thursday. Chowdhury said his company is expecting a client base of 300,000 by the end of current year. The RanksTel authorities said the company will charge less than the BTTB's current call rates for its services in four regions - northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest - in the country. The company will charge a monthly line rent at the rate of Tk 150, which will include VAT and only Tk 0.50 per minute for a local call, they added. The company, which will initially launch 100,000 land phones, will use CDMA (code division multipurpose access) with WLL (wireless loop) technology. Replying to a query, the Rangs Group chief said RanksTel is expecting to reach the break-even point within three to four years. Out of the proposed Tk 2.0 billion investment, the equity and loan will account for 25 per cent and 75 per cent respectively, he added. The RanksTel will provide local, NWD, ISD, Internet and data services to its customers while there will be both post-paid and pre-paid billing systems. Another leading business conglomerate of the country - the Square Group - is also planning to launch its land phone services within this year. The Square Informatix Ltd., a sister concern of the group, will initially launch its service with about 20,000 lines in north-western district of Pabna. "Though the group is maintaining a wait and see policy, it is expected to launch its service by June next," a senior official of the company said, preferring anonymity. This company will also use the CDMA with WLL and a traditional wireless technology for its network, he added. Both RanksTel and Square Informatics received licences Thursday from the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) for their operations in different regions. The BTRC issued PSTN licences to 19 companies, but recently allocated frequencies to 11 companies after they paid their licence fees. Sources in the telecom sector said several companies have made sizable investments as part of their preparations to launch their services within the next few months. The BTRC segmented the country into five zones. Of them, the central zone, or the Dhaka multi-exchange area, has been kept out of the licensing regime following a High Court stay order. The WorldTel, which obtained a licence in 1999 to operate three lakh phones under a build-own-operate scheme with four years of exclusive rights, filed a case challenging the BTRC decision to allow other private sector operators in its area of operation.
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