Mahmudul Hasan

After years of inertia, Bangladesh’s telecom sector has begun to move again under the interim government, reopening long-stalled reform pathways even as deep structural problems continue to weigh on investment and innovation, according to Grameenphone (GP) CEO Yasir Azman.

Robi confirmed the decision in a statement to The Daily Star yesterday

BTRC will go ahead with the auction plan, as preparations have been ongoing since 2024

The auction faces another complication as 20MHz of the 700MHz band remains tied up in a long-running legal dispute

Officially, NEIR is described as a regulatory system, not a surveillance mechanism

The National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) is built on three core identifiers: IMEI, MSISDN, and IMSI

Many mobile phone users were unable to connect their handsets to mobile networks following the launch of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) system on Thursday.

Many mobile phone users were unable to connect their handsets to mobile networks yesterday

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has recently amended its rules for the upcoming auction of the 700-megahertz (MHz) band, allowing a single mobile operator to acquire up to 60 percent of the spectrum available in the auction.

The centrepiece of the year's reform agenda was the new Telecommunication Licensing Policy

Local manufacturing of 5G handsets crossed the one lakh mark in October for the second time since June 2024, as manufacturers grew optimistic following the commercial launch of 5G services by mobile operators.

The Advisory Council has finally approved the Bangladesh Telecommunication (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 barring state-led internet shutdowns and introducing limited measures for accountability in surveillance, while establishing a quasi-judicial body comprising members of the government executive body to oversee interception.

The High Court (HC) has recently stayed the enforcement of significant market power (SMP) regulations on Grameenphone (GP) for three months.

The stay also restores Grameenphone’s inter-operator call charge to Tk 0.10 per minute

The telecom regulator sent a letter on Friday to senior Meta officials, including representatives responsible for Facebook

The contraction was driven entirely by mobile internet connections

Officials say the army often needs reliable connectivity in hard-to-reach areas where private operators are unwilling to invest

The grey market now accounts for as much as 60 percent of handset sales

When the official market is constrained, the grey market thrives, and that is precisely what has happened in the mobile phone sector of Bangladesh.

The Awami League’s flagship Digital Bangladesh vision functioned largely as “an architecture of political slogan” rather than a coherent national digital strategy, according to a government-commissioned white paper.