FE Report
The government has pledged to abolish policies that allow internet shutdowns, causing immense sufferings to the freelancers and hindering investment.
It is also committed to reduce internet services costs and improve its quality through conducting sweeping reforms and deregulation, high officials said at a roundtable on Saturday.
Telecom and Technology Reporters Network Bangladesh (TRNB) organised the roundtable titled "Internet Services: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Way Forward," at the auditorium of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in Dhaka.
Senior officials and industry leaders were present at the meeting.
"We need to show the world that the internet will no longer shut down … this is a responsibility we must fulfill to assure investors," Chief Adviser's Special Assistant Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb told the event.
Highlighting the country's low global rankings in internet affordability and digital governance, the acting head of the Posts and Telecommunications Division outlined an ambitious roadmap to modernise the sector.
A key reform includes implementation of a new three-layer network topology which will be rolled out alongside a performance-based regulatory model.
He said the government will begin deregulation in June, removing licence limitations and instead introducing strict Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to evaluate service providers. Failure to meet conditions within specified timelines will result in penalties, he added.
"Rather than limiting the number of licences, we will set conditions and monitor performance. Political influence in telecom operations must end. Those who would attempt to manipulate policy for personal gains will face consequences," Mr Taiyeb warned.
He also criticised the high cost and poor quality of the internet in the country.
"Despite paying among the highest prices globally, we lack dedicated internet infrastructure for critical sectors like education, healthcare, and disaster management. Our first step is to change the network topology," he said.
In a significant move towards infrastructure improvement, he said the government aims to make all telecom fibre networks in metropolitan areas fully underground within the next three years. "Overhead fibre cannot be considered telecom-grade."
He also called for rapid introduction of Voice over WiFi (VoWiFi) to improve indoor connectivity and reiterated support for active infrastructure sharing among the service providers.
Echoing the government's vision, Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) President Emdadul Hoque announced that ISPs are now offering nationwide internet at BDT 500 with minimum speed doubled from 5 Mbps to 10 Mbps, and would soon increase it to 20 Mbps.
To support this, ISPAB has proposed extended licence duration of up to 10 years, active infrastructure sharing, greater access to International Internet Gateways (IIGs) and Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN) capacity, use of government infrastructure, and a five-year exemption from profit-sharing.
"If you can provide 10 Mbps at the same price, you can offer 20 Mbps too. You must monitor this on your part," said Mr Taiyeb, appreciating ISPAB's efforts while urging further improvements.
BTRC Chairman Major General (Retd.) Md. Emdadul Bari, attending as a special guest, said the commission is revisiting policies including the "One Country, One Rate" strategy and ISP licencing categories.
He emphasised the importance of cross-sector collaboration and announced plans to consolidate NTTN licences into a single category.
"Those providing fixed broadband services will not be allowed to offer wireless services and vice versa, though B2B arrangements can be considered," he noted.
TRNB Organizing Secretary Al-Amin Dewan presented the keynote, while President Samir Kumar Dey chaired the session. General Secretary Masuduzzaman Robin delivered the welcome remarks.
Participants from across the telecom sector - representing mobile operators, infrastructure providers, and digital experts - voiced concerns over high transmission costs, pricing of bandwidth, and the pressing need to expand service access to underserved areas.
They called for unified efforts to make internet services more affordable, accessible, and efficient nationwide.
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