Dhaka: The telecom regulator would issue VoIP license in January next year, as scrutinizing of the applications is on the brink of completion, said officials.

They said evaluation of the applications will be completed within December, and immediately after it the ministry will prepare a final list for the VoIP license.

Taking to BSS, Sunil Kanti Bose, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said they are doing value addition through scrutinizing and evaluating the applications.

Later, the applications will be sent to the ministry of posts and telecommunications for final list, he added.

"The licenses are expected to be finalized within few days after sending it to the ministry," Bose said. Officials said some 1,500 entrepreneurs have applied for the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) license.

The last date of the application submission was October 14 this year. The license will be issued under the name of "VoIP service Provider (VSP)".

In July 22, the BTRC sought applications from the entrepreneurs through posting the final VoIP guideline on its website.

The government took the initiative of issuing VoIP license last year to stop illegal VoIP business, which has been causing huge revenue losses every year.

In the guideline, application fee for VSP license has been fixed at Taka 5,000, license fee Taka 500,000 and annual renewal license fee Taka 100,000.

The company interested to get license will have to channel 10 percent of their income to the national exchequer.

According to the BTRC, the total number of legal average daily international calls is nearly 30 million minutes while 10 million minutes of calls are made through illegal channel for which the government incurs Taka 50 million in revenue losses every day.

The government now gets three cents from each international incoming call.

Ends/AMA/04/12/12