The telecom regulator will slap fresh restrictions on Grameenphone (GP) for becoming a significant market power (SMP).

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has started the procedure following some new and previous criteria to break down the monopolistic dominance of the country’s leading mobile phone operator in the market, reports BSS.

BTRC Chairman Md Jahurul Haque told the state news agency GP has responded to notice it was served by the regulator.

“The commission would take the final decision on SMP restrictions soon maintaining the previous procedure,” he was quoted saying in the BSS report.

The SMP regulations were made to deter any attempt to reduce competition in the telecom market.

On Feb 10, BTRC declared Grameenphone SMP and slapped some restrictions on the operator, including its advertisement campaigns.

It was notified about the restrictions on Feb 18.

After the operator questioned the restrictions and said the purpose of the directives must be to build competition, not defeat success, the BTRC lifted those on Mar 20 before serving GP with a notice.

GP is the largest mobile telecom operator in Bangladesh by subscription boasting around 72.3 million customers, which accounts for nearly half of the mobile phone users, according to the BTRC. Mobile phone users of the four companies total 156.9 million now.

Grameenphone leads the market with 45.8 percent of the total subscriber base. Robi accounts for 30 percent of the total users, Banglalink makes up 22 percent and state-run Teletalk has 2.5 percent. Grameenphone is also ahead in terms of annual revenues. It earned 53 percent of the total market revenues in 2017, Robi 28 percent and Banglalink 18 percent. Restrictions can be clamped on an operator once it accounts for 40 percent of the subscribers, annual revenues or allocated spectrum, according to the SMP regulations.