By IANS
Dhaka : Bangladesh’s state-owned post and telecom network will be turned into a public limited corporation (PLC), a move that follows that of Bangladesh Biman, the national airline.
Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) has been a state-run network like such operations across South Asia. The government now wants to convert into a PLC but wants to retain full control.
The move is to cut the red tape that causes delays, officials say. Ostensibly, a PLC would also enable outside funding.
The BTTB earns Tk 1.5 billion ($23 million) on an average annually, which it deposits with the exchequer. It gets an allocation under an annual development programme to bear its operational costs that BTTB officials say involves a cumbersome bureaucratic process.
According to the draft ordinance, the state-owned BTTB will become a fully government-owned PLC named Bangladesh Telecom Company Ltd, New Age said Thursday.
The state-owned mobile operator, Teletalk Bangladesh Ltd, will be its subsidiary but will be run by a separate management.
The number of BTTB employees now stands at around 15,000 against the total of 19,500 sanctioned by the government. The BTTB has not recruited any new staffers since 1984.