PROPOSED TELECOM LICENSING POLICY: Stakeholders fear foreign dominance, rise in internet prices

Speakers at a discussion on Saturday warned that the proposed telecom licensing policy could undermine domestic entrepreneurs, restore foreign dominance, and sharply raise internet prices.

They urged the government to review the draft guidelines, currently being prepared by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), through inclusive consultation and ensure that reforms promote -- not endanger -- the growth of Bangladesh's home-grown telecom industry.

The entrepreneurs have announced plans to take legal action, if the proposed new telecom licensing policy is finalised in a way that threatens their survival.

They allege that the draft guidelines risk reversing two decades of progress in developing local enterprises in the telecommunications sector.

The warning came at a views-exchange meeting titled "How Effectively Will the New Telecom Policy Protect the Interests of Local Entrepreneurs?" organised by the Telecom and Technology Reporters Network Bangladesh (TRNB) at Hotel Holiday Inn in Dhaka.

The meeting was attended by a large number of stakeholders, including senior journalists, ICT experts, and representatives from Internet Service Provider (ISP), International Gateway (IGW), Interconnection Exchange (ICX), and transmission service sectors.

Former TRNB President Rashed Mehedi presided over and moderated the discussion, while TRNB General Secretary Masuduzzaman Robin delivered the welcome address.

In his address, President of the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) Mohammad Aminul Hakim said that BTRC had been repeatedly informed of domestic entrepreneurs' concerns, but these had gone unheeded.

Instead, the regulator appeared to be finalising the policy in a way that "will benefit only three foreign mobile operators".

"Domestic entrepreneurs have created nearly one million jobs and ensured affordable internet services across the country, even in remote areas," Hakim stated.

"If the new policy protects only foreign operators' interests, internet prices will rise by at least 20 per cent, and marginal communities will be deprived of access."

He further declared that local entrepreneurs would not hesitate to take legal action if the policy is finalised with provisions that endanger their existence.

Presenting a concept paper at the event, Rashed Mehedi said the proposed policy would increase ISP licence fees fivefold and give foreign telecom companies control over about 90 per cent of structural advantages.

ICT expert Suman Ahmed Sabir said that while reforms to the 2008 ILDTS Policy were necessary, the current draft appeared to serve the interests of a specific group.

"Many countries are reforming their telecom sectors to favour domestic entrepreneurs and prepare for cybersecurity challenges," he said. "Bangladesh, however, seems to be heading in the opposite direction."

Summit Communications Chief Technology Officer (CTO) K. M. Tariquzzaman said domestic entrepreneurs had played a crucial role in breaking the monopoly of a single mobile operator and ensuring affordable services. "Now, under the guise of reform, the policy is paving the way for restoring that monopoly. This is unacceptable," he said.

Abu Nazm Tanvir Hossain pointed out that an "unprecedented number" of draft telecom policies and laws had been proposed within just one and a half years.

"Clause 33 of the draft Telecommunication Act 2025 mentions forming a ministerial committee to approve nationally significant licences, but the law provides no definition of what constitutes such a licence."

ISPAB General Secretary Nazmul Karim Bhuiyan criticised the proposed fragmentation of internet services into mobile, satellite, and other categories. "We believe internet means internet. Dividing it into multiple categories will only fuel an unfair competition," he said, though he welcomed the government's recent indication that some revisions were under consideration.

Other speakers, including Fiber@Home Chief Communication Officer Abbas Farooq, Bahon Limited COO Rashed Amin Bidyut, AOIB central leader M. Nurul Alam, and IGW Operators Forum CEO Mushfiq Monzur, echoed concerns that the proposed policy could destabilise the domestic telecom ecosystem.

Farooq urged local entrepreneurs to unite on a single platform to defend their rights, while Nurul Alam warned that a policy resembling the pre-2008 monopoly era would ultimately set back the entire ICT sector.

Monzur drew a parallel with the 1980s pharmaceutical policy that fostered a strong domestic industry.

In his closing remarks, TRNB General Secretary Masuduzzaman Robin stressed that the government should prioritise the protection and development of labour-intensive domestic entrepreneurship over maximising revenue collection.

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