BTRC Sets Stricter Service Standards: 10 Mbps Minimum for 4G

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has set new national benchmarks for telecom services, establishing a minimum download speed of 10 Mbps for 4G and at least 2 Mbps for data upload speeds. Alongside speed requirements, the revised Quality of Service (QoS) policy introduces stricter rules for customer complaint resolution and service monitoring.

Under the new framework, non-network-related complaints must be resolved within 28 days, while 90% of calls to customer service centers must be answered within 40 seconds, and all calls within 90 seconds. The directive also emphasizes equitable service quality across both urban and rural areas. Average user download speeds must be at least 3.5 Mbps at the network level and 2.5 Mbps at the district level.

For Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN) operators, data loss must be kept under 0.01%, latency within 5 milliseconds, and jitter within 3 milliseconds. Service issues in fiber networks must be resolved within 4 hours in metropolitan areas and within 6 hours in rural areas.

At the most recent BTRC commission meeting, these revised benchmarks were formally adopted as part of the updated QoS policy.

Fayez Ahmad Tayyeb, Special Assistant in charge of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and ICT under the interim government, explained: “After declaring the previous standards inadequate, we consulted experts and created a new Quality of Service benchmark. This was approved in last week’s BTRC commission meeting for mobile operators, NTTN providers, and ISPs. According to the new QoS policy, the minimum 4G speed is now set at 10 Mbps. To strengthen oversight, BTRC will conduct monthly network performance and health checks, effective from September.”

He further noted that under the revised drive test criteria, operators must ensure 10 Mbps minimum speeds for 4G services, while the acceptable call drop rate has been lowered. Service quality indicators have been tightened, and operators will now be required to submit monthly performance reports. “The previous benchmarks were poor and impractical. The new framework is both time-appropriate and realistic,” Tayyeb added, stressing that the updated guidelines will soon be officially published.

Tayyeb criticized telecom operators for underinvesting in 4G infrastructure, leading to declining service quality. The new licensing policy now includes both “license obligations” and QoS benchmarks to ensure accountability. “This initiative will bring greater transparency and accountability to operators. Weak areas will be identified more quickly, allowing faster resolution. Mandatory monthly reporting will put added pressure on operators to maintain standards, especially in rural and suburban areas where complaints about weak networks and frequent call drops are common,” he said.

The revised QoS benchmarks set clear numerical targets: network-level call setup success rates must be at least 99%, while at district and upazila levels, 98%. Call drop rates on 2G networks must remain below 1% and under 1.5% at the upazila level. For 4G data, successful connection rates must be 99% nationally and 98.5% at the district level. Drive test requirements mandate a minimum 98% success rate for call setups, a call drop rate within 2%, and a minimum Mean Opinion Score (MOS) of 3.5 for VoLTE (Voice over LTE).

For data services, the minimum download speed is set at 10 Mbps and upload at 2 Mbps. Operators must now submit monthly reports on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), categorized into three areas: accessibility, retainability, and network integrity.

Accessibility KPIs will measure how effectively customers can connect to networks and initiate calls, including call setup success rates (2G and 4G-VoLTE), paging success, and ERAB setup success. Poorly performing cells, where success rates fall below 90% or 70%, must be identified separately. Retainability KPIs will measure the stability of calls and data sessions, tracking call drop rates, VoLTE abnormal disconnections, LTE non-retainability, SRVCC success rates, and handover success rates. Network integrity KPIs will assess how efficiently infrastructure is functioning, including LTE PRB utilization per base station, user uplink throughput (Mbps), and CQI/RSRQ quality levels.

BTRC will compile results monthly by network, district, and upazila, requiring operators to submit a list of their 50 worst-performing cells where accessibility and retainability fall short. For internet services, local traffic connection times must not exceed 25 ms, data loss must remain under 1%, and overall network availability must be at least 99%. End users must receive at least 95% of their subscribed download and upload speeds.

The revised QoS policy also applies to fixed internet, fixed telephony, and NTTN providers. For fixed-line services, call drop rates must remain under 1%, call setup success rates must exceed 99%, and call connection times must not exceed six seconds.