Telecom Transparency: Government to Get Tough If Internet Prices Don’t Drop

In an effort to bridge the digital divide between urban centers and rural communities, the Bangladesh government will observe World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) on May 17 by honoring outstanding young achievers of the past year. The event will be held at the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) premises to minimize costs.

The announcement was made on Thursday at a press conference held at the BTRC office in Agargaon, Dhaka. Officials outlined a series of upcoming policy changes aimed at improving affordability, accessibility, and accountability in the telecom and ICT sectors.

In response to journalists’ questions, it was revealed that a new licensing policy will be approved in early June, and steps are being taken to lower internet prices from July 1. Regulatory hurdles surrounding "book building" will be removed to facilitate this. If service providers fail to reduce prices, bilateral agreements covering service quality, outstanding dues, and existing benefits will be subject to renegotiation. Additionally, new Direct-to-Home (DTH) licenses will be issued.

The BTRC also issued a show-cause notice to Grameenphone following a 40-minute network outage on Wednesday. 

Several satellite-based internet service providers, similar to Starlink, have expressed interest in entering the Bangladesh market. The Special Assistant to the Chief Advisor of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology stated, "We have established the NGSO (Non-Geostationary Orbit) guidelines in Bangladesh. Under this framework, Starlink has begun operations in the country. Additionally, several other companies like Starlink have reached out, showing interest in launching services here."

Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, highlighted that the government is moving away from flashy projects to more cost-effective initiatives, allowing entities like Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) and Khulna Cable Company to become profitable.

“We are turning around six loss-making telecom entities into profitable ones. Since granting NGSO (Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit) licenses, Starlink is procuring 2 terabytes of bandwidth from BSCCL, doubling their usage within three months,” said Taiyeb. “We’re advancing existing projects without creating new budget burdens.”

He added, “We may lack in knowledge or communication, but not in commitment to our responsibilities. We’re introducing new licensing policies in early June to ensure both in-house and tower-level fiber connectivity and to build trust in mobile government service apps.”

In response to a question about whether the government will take action if mobile operators do not reduce internet prices, Faiz Tayeb stated, "Adequate regulatory and practical initiatives have been taken to lower prices. Stakeholders have participated in discussions. Those who have not yet joined should do so. If they do not cooperate with us, we will bring our bilateral negotiations with them to the discussion table. Outstanding dues will also be addressed, and their performance will be reviewed in those discussions."

Faiz Ahmed highlighted disparities in digital transformation between men and women, as well as urban and rural areas. He pointed out that not all educational institutions across the country have equal access to digital transformation. He stated, "English-medium schools have undergone digital transformation, and some private Bangla-medium schools also have digital facilities. However, rural madrassas, particularly Qawmi madrassas, have not yet benefited from digital advancements.

BTRC Chairman Emdadul Bari stated, “We aim to open the market for business players. Prices should be determined through fair competition.” He also confirmed that Starlink has not yet submitted any pricing proposal.

At the press conference, it was announced that the previous government had downgraded the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day event from Category 'A' to Category 'C.' There are now discussions about restoring it to Category 'A' once again.

Telecom Secretary in routine duty, Md. Zahirul Islam and ICT Secretary Shish Hayder Chowdhury ‍ was also present at the briefing.

In response to a journalist's question, Shish Haider stated that the ICT sector budget will be reduced in the upcoming fiscal year. Last year, the development budget was 453 crore BDT, but this year, it has been lowered to 404 crore BDT. He mentioned that while the ITU Day was not celebrated in April this year, efforts will be made to ensure its observance from next year onwards.

Additionally, Telecom Secretary Zahidul Islam expressed hopes of upgrading the Telecom Day to Category 'A' next year. Although the event was not celebrated at the division or district level this year, he stated that engagement is being encouraged through a hackathon competition, involving students from various schools, colleges, and universities via the Military Institute of Science and Technology.