Mahmudul Hasan

Restoring the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission’s (BTRC’s) independence by reverting to the original legal framework should be a priority for reform, according to its new chairman Major General (retd) Emdad Ul Bari.

The state coffer has been deprived of Tk 69 crore for the telecom regulator’s failure to collect the 5.5 percent of the sales price of Summit Tower’s acquisition of Banglalink’s 2,000 mobile towers.

The Bangabandhu-1 satellite, one of the marquee projects of the Awami League government, has turned into a financial black hole, costing the state coffer upwards of Tk 1,500 crore.

Prompt steps are needed to address the workers’ demands and quell the ongoing labour unrest, said Socialist Labour Front President Razekuzzaman Ratan.

Citycell, the country’s first mobile operator which has not been operational since 2016, has sent a letter to the telecom regulator recently seeking the reinstatement of its licence.

The telecom regulator has walked back on its decision just two months ago to allow Summit Communications to transfer its shares without any fee, in a development that raises questions about the extent of benefits the company received during the 15 years of the previous Awami League government.

The number of mobile subscribers in Bangladesh has dropped significantly in July, as all the operators lost customers. .The overall number of mobile subscribers is calculated based on the purchase of new SIMs (subscriber identity modules) minus the number of SIMs whose ownership have beco

Local production of handsets saw a significant increase in the first half of the year, but manufacturers continue to face challenges due to reduced demand for high-end smartphones.

The telecom ministry has failed to establish a National Emergency Telecommunication System (NETS) to maintain telecommunication and internet services during disasters despite starting the initiative almost two years ago.

The Bangladesh Bank yesterday appointed an administrator to Nagad after one too many allegations of irregularities in the mobile financial service provider’s operations and dealings.

No legislation explicitly permits the internet blackout enforced by the Sheikh Hasina government to quash protests centring the quota reform movement.

Grameenphone and Robi, the top two mobile network operators in Bangladesh, have each secured a spectrum allocation of 20 megahertz (MHz) to boost the quality of their services.

The Daily Star presents the whole situation on a chronological order

ICT entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, who faced uncertainties due to an internet blackout enforced by the government to suppress protests in recent weeks, are now brimming with hope following the fall of the dictatorial Sheikh Hasina-led government.

Although broadband and mobile internet is again available in the country, most software, IT service and business process outsourcing (BPO) companies are experiencing significant productivity losses due to insufficient internet speeds.

Bangladesh’s burgeoning online food delivery sector has been severely hit by the internet disruptions, bringing operations of the platforms to a near halt.

A countrywide internet blackout dealt a massive blow to the lives of Bangladeshis, upending their digital lifestyle and leaving many businesses staring at huge financial losses.

The country’s promising export-oriented IT firms and business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, which fetch close to $1 billion a year, are fearing getting dropped by their foreign clients after abruptly going off the grid on Thursday night for the internet blackout.

Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) has failed to realise dues worth around Tk 316 crore from different companies and falsely recorded it as “current asset” in its financial statement. 

The country’s three private mobile network operators are racing to grab a share of the rapidly expanding broadband market by offering fixed wireless access (FWA) services, which give users Wi-Fi connections without cables.