No directive issued to suspend mobile network, internet service in Chittagong Hill Tracts: BTRC

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has said that they have not issued any directives to suspend mobile network and internet services in the three districts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts amid the ongoing violence.

However, the organisation stated that due to power outages in certain areas, the Teletalk network and some NTNT connections have been temporarily disrupted.

This information was disclosed in a press release issued by the media wing of BTRC on Saturday.

The optical fiber of the NTNT operator 'Summit Communications Limited' and Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) was cut during the violent clashes in Khagrachari’s Dighinala on Thursday, resulting in the disconnection of the network for 16 towers of the mobile operator Robi, the release said.

"There are nearly 150 towers of Robi in Khagrachari district. However, due to the ongoing tense situation, it has not been possible to repair those towers immediately. On Friday (September 20), Robi was able to activate 14 towers, and two towers have not yet been repaired. All sites will be made operational soon," it said.

The press release further states, "In Khagrachari district, the state-owned mobile operator Teletalk has 72 mobile towers. Due to the disconnection of the electricity supply from PDB, 23 towers of Teletalk have become inactive. Additionally, for other reasons, a total of 29 Teletalk towers are currently out of service, including 6 other towers."

The regulatory body expressed regret to the customers for any temporary inconvenience that has arisen.