Mahmudul Hasan

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has come up with a draft ordinance that would bring sweeping changes to the law, paving the way for the telecom regulator to win back its independence taken away by the previous regime through amendments.

The interim government has revised its aim for foreign exchange reserves, saying it expects to have $28.6 billion by June this year, capitalising on strong growth in inward remittances, exports, and budgetary support from development partners.

The GDP growth target may be brought down to 5.25 percent in the revised budget for the current fiscal year due to the damage caused by multiple floods and the interim government’s contractionary monetary policy to contain high inflation.

Even in current smartphone age, feature phones continue to dominate local handset manufacturing as smartphone penetration struggles to gain momentum due mainly to affordability, availability and an illegal inflow of modern handsets in the country.

Handset production in Bangladesh increased by 17.17 percent year-on-year in 2024, but local assemblers faced significant challenges due to sluggish sales and the rapid expansion of the grey market.

The telecom regulator has drafted stricter quality of service (QoS) benchmarks for mobile operators to better protect users’ interests though the companies fared badly in previous metrics.

The internet regulator has reinstated three-day internet packages in a move aimed at boosting internet usage and offering greater freedom of choice for customers.

The previous Awami League regime, which touted its efforts to make Bangladesh digital, mirrored the poor farmer in Aesop’s fable of the golden goose when dealing with the mobile voice and internet sectors. The interim government is now replicating this flawed approach following its predecessor’s footsteps.

Govt's tax hike to stifle growth and revenue

From groceries to food and commuting, startups, founded by innovative young people, became popular brands

The National Board of Revenue went ahead with its plan to hike value-added tax and supplementary duty on goods and services despite widespread concerns that the move will stoke inflation and slow down economic activities.

NBR issues a notification moments ago

If implemented, total tax burden on mobile phone users will be around 56.3%

The number of mobile internet subscribers in Bangladesh witnessed a significant drop of 44 lakh in November, contributing to an overall decline in internet subscribers to 13.28 crore from that in October.

The digital divide between urban and rural Bangladesh has widened further in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, with individuals using the internet in urban areas now almost double that of rural regions, according to a latest survey of the national statistical agency.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has finalised key steps for auditing Teletalk, including setting goals, outlining the scope and detailing tasks for the process.

Robi Axiata has appointed an acting CEO as Rajeev Sethi was assigned to a new role within Axiata Group, according to a letter sent to the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission.

The newly approved draft Cyber Protection Ordinance retains many of the clauses of its predecessors that drew flak from across the world for stifling freedom of expression.

Businesses ranging from banks to courier services and fintech companies are now facing trouble in onboarding new customers after the Election Commission (EC) recently cancelled access of the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) to the national identification card database.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) recently ordered the suspension of all voice call services provided by three International Gateway (IGW) operators for breaching rules.