The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is set to proceed with the 700MHz spectrum auction on January 21 as scheduled, with Grameenphone (GP) emerging as the sole bidder after Robi Axiata withdrew its application and Banglalink opted to stay out, citing concerns over business viability at the current price.
With no competing bidders, the country’s largest mobile operator will be eligible to acquire up to 10MHz of low-band spectrum at the reserve price of Tk237 crore per MHz, under the auction guidelines issued by BTRC.
Two senior officials of BTRC confirmed to TIMES of Bangladesh that there is no plan to revise the auction timetable despite criticism and uncertainties over holding a single-bidder auction.
One of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the commission would proceed according to the pre-announced schedule.
BTRC published the auction guidelines for 25MHz of spectrum in the 700MHz band on November 27, 2025, following months of consultation. The auction was initially scheduled for January 14, 2026, before being rescheduled.
The revised guidelines also reduced the maximum spectrum cap for a single bidder to 10MHz from the earlier limit of 15MHz.
Industry officials say the 700MHz band is particularly important for GP, which serves the country’s largest mobile customer base and lags the competitors in holding per user spectrum.
Low-band spectrum is widely regarded as essential for easing network congestion, expanding rural coverage and improving indoor signal penetration. It also offers a lower cost per bit for large-scale networks.
Robi Axiata and Banglalink, however, have taken the position that the spectrum remains commercially unviable at the current base price.
In a letter to BTRC, Robi said the proposed price of the 700MHz band does not make business sense for non-significant market power operators when combined with the cost of new hardware and nationwide rollout.
The operator said it may consider acquiring 700MHz spectrum in the future if pricing better reflects Bangladesh’s economic realities.
Robi also warned that allocating the low-band spectrum to a single market-leading operator would create competitive imbalance.
The company cited advantages in rural reach, indoor penetration, economies of scale, lower cost per bit and faster deployment of fifth-generation services.
Robi urged BTRC to ensure equitable spectrum distribution and reiterated its request for the simultaneous allocation of 3.4MHz from the 900MHz band to maintain competitive balance.
Banglalink raised similar concerns in a separate letter to BTRC recently.
While not opposing the auction outright, the operator warned that proceeding with a single bidder could lead to spectrum concentration with one operator holding significant market power.
Banglalink said such an outcome could distort competition, create structural imbalance in low-band spectrum holdings and undermine long-term industry sustainability.
The operator reiterated its interest in acquiring enhanced global system for mobile communications (E-GSM) spectrum, noting that around 8.4MHz remains available in the 880.0MHz to 888.4MHz range.
Banglalink requested concurrent administrative allocation of the band and said it requires at least 3.4MHz, preferably within the 885.0MHz to 888.4MHz range.
The current reserve price of Tk237 crore per MHz reflects a 10 percent reduction made last year after the foreign parent companies of GP, Robi and Banglalink urged the interim government to lower spectrum costs.
Despite the cut, Robi and Banglalink maintain that the economics of the 700MHz band remain challenging under present market conditions.
State-owned operator Teletalk did not apply for the 700MHz auction due to unresolved outstanding dues to BTRC and will not receive any allocation from the band this time.
While BTRC has said the auction is intended to support the expansion of second-generation, third-generation, fourth-generation, internet-based voice services, fifth-generation and future-generation services, rival operators argue that assigning the 700MHz band to a single dominant player could reshape the competitive structure of Bangladesh’s mobile market.
Under the Radio Frequency Auction–2026 guidelines, if the number of bidders on the auction day is fewer than two, the final decision on whether the auction proceeds rests with the Auction Conducting Commission.
