The government has initiated steps to develop a policy to prevent internet shutdowns in any special circumstances in the future.
Fayez Ahmed Tayyeb, the Special Assistant for Telecommunications and Information Technology Affairs to the Chief Adviser, announced this during a discussion titled “Actions Required for High-Speed, Quality, and Affordable Internet Access.”
The event was organised by the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Consumers Association at the Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah Hall of the National Press Club on Sunday.
Fayez Ahmed Tayyeb stated that several Bangladeshi companies are partnering with U.S. telecom giant Starlink to assist in establishing ground earth stations in Bangladesh.
A delegation from Starlink is currently visiting Bangladesh to finalise agreements with local organisations for launching its internet services.
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has invited Elon Musk, the founder of Starlink and CEO of SpaceX, to visit Bangladesh and officially initiate Starlink’s satellite services.
Yunus also highlighted that this visit would provide Musk with an opportunity to connect with Bangladesh’s youth, who stand to benefit the most from this technology.
He added that the agreements include provisions for land allocation, construction support, and infrastructure maintenance.
The Starlink team has identified several locations for these projects, considering both private properties of Bangladeshi companies and land within high-tech parks.
Tayyeb emphasised that Starlink’s services would ensure reliable, high-speed internet connectivity free from power outages or natural disasters, especially in urban areas, remote regions, northern districts, and coastal areas.
He pointed out that the limited expansion of telecom-grade fiber networks and persistent power issues in remote areas make Starlink’s services crucial for entrepreneurs, freelancers, NGOs, and SME businesses.
The government is working to implement a feasible model with Starlink within the next 90 days.
Mustafa Hussain, an information technology and telecom expert, presented the keynote at the discussion, chaired by Bangladesh Mobile Phone Consumers Association President Mohiuddin Ahmed. Hussain recommended forming a telecommunications and technology service reform commission and setting a minimum speed of 20 Mbps for both broadband and mobile internet.
He urged the government to issue a proclamation declaring that the internet would not be shut down under any pretext.
Additionally, he called for recognizing internet access as a fundamental right.
Hussain’s recommendations included banning illegal ISPs, preventing mobile operators from entering the
ISP business, reducing overhead fiber usage to zero, and leaving bandwidth and NTTN prices to market competition.
He also suggested reducing taxes on the internet and mandating operators to offer affordable handsets on installment plans.
The event was attended by several notable figures, including BNP’s International Relations Committee Special Assistant Engineer Ishraq Hossain, Managing Director of Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited Dr. Mohammad Imadur Rahman, BTRC Director General Brigadier General Khalilur Rahman, telecom expert Mahtab Uddin, IIGAB President Aminul Hakim, CEO of BD Jobs and former BASIS President Fahim Mashroor, ISPAB President Imdadul Haque, former Vice President Saiful Islam Siddique, AB Party Vice Chairman Lt. Col. (Retd.) Helal Uddin, BASIS Associate Committee Chairman Rafel Kabir, former Director of Bangladesh Competition Commission Khaled Abu Nasir, Grameenphone Limited Senior Director of Corporate Affairs Hossain Sadat, Banglalink’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Taimur Rahman, and Robi’s Director of Regulations Shah Md. Fazle Khoda, among other representatives from IIGAB, ISPAB, mobile operators, telecom experts, and media personnel.
