Dhaka, Jan. 22 -- Bangladesh's telecom regulator has moved forward with a controversial allocation of 700 MHz spectrum to Grameenphone (GP), despite unresolved legal disputes, objections from rival operators and mounting accusations of regulatory bias that critics warn could further entrench market imbalance.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has in principle decided to award Grameenphone 10 MHz of the prized low-band spectrum at the reserve price, generating Tk 23.70 billion for the government.

The decision was taken by the Spectrum Auction Committee and the Spectrum Management Committee, marking the country's first commercial assignment of the 700 MHz band.

However, a BTRC commissioner confirmed that final...