Chief Adviser's Special Assistant Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb, who is also the acting head of the Posts and Telecommunications Division, on Saturday said all policies allowing internet shutdowns will be abolished, as past shutdowns have harmed freelancers and deterred investment in the country, reports UNB.
"We need to demonstrate to the world that the internet will no longer be shut down. It is a responsibility to assure investors," he said while speaking at a roundtable titled 'Internet Services: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Way Forward'.
Telecom and Technology Reporters Network Bangladesh (TRNB) organised the event at the BTRC Auditorium at Agargaon in the city.
He said internet services in Bangladesh remain among the most expensive in the world, despite their comparatively poor quality.
"We still lack dedicated internet infrastructure for education, healthcare, and disaster management.
Therefore, we cannot yet consider ourselves aligned with global standards. Our first step is to change the network topology," Taiyeb said.
The special assistant further announced plans to revoke multiple licences, limiting the number of licencees. Operators will be given time to meet the required conditions, failing which fines will be imposed, Taiyeb added.
Highlighting consumer dissatisfaction, Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) President Imdadul Haque said users are frustrated due to frequent call drops and high internet prices.
To address this, he said, ISPs are providing internet nationwide for Tk 500 at a minimum speed of 5 Mbps, which will soon double to 10 Mbps, with plans to further increase it to 20 Mbps.
To ensure affordability, ISPAB proposed introducing active sharing, extending license tenure to 10 years, enhancing IIG and NTTN capacity, allowing access to government infrastructure, and exempting profit-sharing for five years.
