Grameenphone Partners with Anjuman Mufidul Islam for Social Welfare

Bangladesh’s interim government expects mobile network operators (MNOs) to soon reduce mobile internet prices following significant wholesale price cuts across the internet value chain. According to Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, the chief adviser's special assistant, the government has already lowered costs at the International Terrestrial Cable, International Internet Gateway, and National Telecommunication Transmission Network levels.

The government of Bangladesh has unveiled an ambitious plan to modernize its telecom sector, aiming to eliminate internet shutdowns, lower internet costs, and improve service quality through comprehensive reforms and deregulation. Key measures include abolishing restrictive licensing, enforcing performance-based regulations, and making all metropolitan telecom fibre networks underground within three years.

Internet subscribers in Bangladesh will now receive 10 Mbps internet speed for Tk 500, up from the previous 5 Mbps, as announced by the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB). This change aligns with the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission's (BTRC) "One Country, One Rate" policy.

The cost of DWASA’s 'Dhaka Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply Project' has surged by Tk 28.28 billion in its third revision, raising the total estimated budget to Tk 109.75 billion—126.38% higher than the original Tk 48.48 billion approved in 2013. Despite an 11-year delay and 87% physical progress, the project remains incomplete.

Banglalink has failed to pay Tk42.58 crore in VAT to BTRC for revenue sharing from April 2012 to June 2013. Although Banglalink claims the VAT constitutes double taxation, citing NBR’s special order issued on August 12, 2013, both BTRC and the court have ruled that the VAT was applicable before that order and must be paid.

Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, has requested China to develop a 50-year masterplan for managing the country’s complex river and water systems, which are vital to its ecosystem but also pose significant challenges.