Around 130 million internet users in Bangladesh currently consume about 6,400 Gbps of bandwidth daily for various activities like entertainment, education, and shopping. Out of this, Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company supplies nearly 3,000 Gbps, and the government recently cut its bandwidth prices by 10%.

In this context, starting today, broadband users will receive 10 Mbps internet speed for Tk 500 instead of the previous 5 Mbps, announced Imdadul Haque, President of the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB). He made the announcement at a seminar on internet services held at the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on Saturday morning (April 19).

Imdadul also noted that soon, 14 million broadband users across the country would enjoy a minimum speed of 20 Mbps at the same cost. Internet providers urged the government to reduce bandwidth transmission charges to Tk 5 and allow active sharing. Representatives of private fiber companies expressed optimism that transmission costs would decrease further.

At the same seminar, Fayez Ahmad Tayyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, criticized the quality of internet service in Bangladesh, calling it one of the worst in the world and suggested the cost should be reduced further.

He added that internet shutdowns will no longer occur in Bangladesh as the system is being revised to prevent such disruptions. He also shared that under the Cyber Security Ordinance, internet access will be officially recognized as a citizen’s right.