ISPs Seek Strategic Shift to Bridge Bangladesh’s Broadband Divide

In Bangladesh’s current socio-economic context, the internet is no longer a luxury but a fundamental infrastructure service like electricity or water. However, entrepreneurs in the sector believe the industry is currently burdened by infrastructural disparity, high tax rates, and policy complexities. In such a situation, the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) aims to present a clear roadmap to the new government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. After Fakir Mahbub Anam Swapan took oath as the minister in charge of the ICT and telecom sector, Digibanglatech News sought the organization’s views on the new challenges facing the sector and expectations from the new government.

In response, ISPAB Secretary General Nazmul Karim Bhuiyan highlighted the prevailing digital divide and infrastructural crisis in the sector. Pointing out weaknesses in the country’s current network system, he said, “Although high-speed internet is available in cities, quality connectivity has yet to reach rural areas. If this digital disparity is not eliminated, it will be difficult to face the global challenges of 2026.”

According to him, a lack of coordination between the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and the relevant ministry, along with the high cost of services, remains a major obstacle in the sector.

In this reality, he called for transformative changes to make internet services affordable. On behalf of the organization, he proposed granting internet services formal state recognition as “digital infrastructure.” At the same time, he emphasized reducing license fees, VAT, and various unnecessary charges to lower consumer prices, as well as ensuring easy loans and technical support for local ISP entrepreneurs.

Nazmul Karim Bhuiyan stated that if the new government announces a 100-day action plan immediately after assuming office, the sector could quickly rebound. To achieve this, he proposed updating the National Broadband Master Plan to ensure fiber optic networks at the union and village levels, simplifying the licensing process, adopting quick-win policies to reduce bureaucratic complexities, increasing joint public-private investment in network expansion, modernizing the Data Protection Act, and forming a strong Cyber Response Team.

“We want the government to declare internet a fundamental service,” he said. “This connectivity is the backbone of education, healthcare, and business. Only with proper planning and transparent policy implementation can Bangladesh truly transform into a digital economy.”

Broadly speaking, entrepreneurs in the sector believe that with political goodwill and by ensuring commercial benefits and security for ISP operators, every citizen of the country can be brought under quality internet coverage. According to this senior IT sector leader, the biggest test for the new government will be making broadband internet accessible to marginalized communities.

DBTech/DHE/IH/OR