Staff Correspondent:

Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb, who is also the acting head of the Posts and Telecommunications Division, on Saturday said all policies allowing internet shutdowns will be abolished, as past shutdowns have harmed freelancers and deterred investment in the country.

“We need to demonstrate to the world that the internet will no longer be shut down. It is a responsibility to assure investors,” he said while speaking at a roundtable titled ‘Internet Services: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Way Forward’.

Telecom and Technology Reporters Network Bangladesh (TRNB) organised the event at the BTRC Auditorium in Agargaon, Dhaka.

He said internet services in Bangladesh remain among the most expensive in the world, despite their comparatively poor quality.

“We still lack dedicated internet infrastructure for education, healthcare, and disaster management.

Therefore, we cannot yet consider ourselves aligned with global standards. Our first step is to change the network topology,” Taiyeb said.

The special assistant further announced plans to revoke multiple licenses, limiting the number of licensees. Operators will be given time to meet the required conditions, failing which fines will be imposed, Taiyeb added.

Highlighting consumer dissatisfaction, Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) President Imdadul Haque said users are frustrated due to frequent call drops and high internet prices.

To address this, he said, ISPs are providing internet nationwide for Tk 500 at a minimum speed of 5 Mbps, which will soon double to 10 Mbps, with plans to further increase it to 20 Mbps.

To ensure affordability, ISPAB proposed introducing active sharing, extending license tenure to 10 years, enhancing IIG and NTTN capacity, allowing access to government infrastructure, and exempting profit-sharing for five years.

Welcoming the ISPs’ efforts to reduce prices, the chief adviser’s special assistant said, “If you can provide 10 Mbps at the same price, you can offer 20 Mbps too. You must monitor this yourselves.”

Faiz acknowledged that Bangladesh lags behind in global rankings on internet affordability and e-governance. To address this, the new network topology will be structured into three layers. Rather than limiting the number of licenses, performance-based KPIs will be introduced, and deregulation will begin from June, he mentioned.

He also emphasised the need to eliminate political influence in the telecom business and boost digital services, saying, “All barriers to these services will be removed, and active sharing will be facilitated.”

“All telecom fibre networks in metro areas must be fully underground within three years,” he said, adding that Bangladesh aims to rank within the top 30 globally on all relevant indices within the next two years.

Taiyeb warned that attempts to manipulate policy updates through vested interests “will ultimately lead to their own downfall.”

Addressing the issue of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM), he clarified that Bangladesh is not regressing. “We want to send a message—do business, but don’t seek favours from politicians or influencers. We want Voice over WiFi to launch quickly and bring connectivity indoors to ensure quality.”

He also stressed the need for telecom-grade fibre networks, saying, “Overhead fibre cannot be considered telecom-grade. All fibre must go underground.”

The keynote presentation at the roundtable was delivered by TRNB Organising Secretary Al-Amin Dewan.

TRNB President Samir Kumar Dey presided over the event, while General Secretary Masuduzzaman Robin delivered the welcome address.