The internet regulator has allowed telecom operators in Bangladesh to provide fixed wireless access (FWA), enabling their users to get wifi connections without cables.

The move will likely transform the broadband internet business in the country, creating competition among current broadband internet service providers (ISPs) and telecom operators as users will have more options.

With the new 5G guidelines coming into force, operators with FWA service approval will be able to offer high-speed internet access through wireless networks to fixed locations like homes and businesses.

It will also extend broadband coverage efficiently, especially in areas with limited wired infrastructure.

FWA generally leverages the high-speed, low-latency capabilities of 5G networks to deliver broadband internet access wirelessly.

However, as the country's telecom operators are still reluctant to launch 5G commercially, the expansion of the service will take time, according to industry people.

In Bangladesh, telecom operators provide mobile internet services while ISP licensees provide broadband services.

Generally, mobile operators deliver mobile internet services through cellular networks, utilising technologies such as 3G, 4G and 5G. These networks enable wireless data transmission to smartphones and tablets, offering flexibility and mobility.

Broadband operators provide broadband internet via fixed-line connections like cables or fibre optics, ensuring stable and high-speed connectivity with greater bandwidth and reliability compared to mobile networks.

But now, mobile network operators will be able to offer similar services. Customers will just require an outdoor antenna for signal reception, an indoor modem or router, and a subscription plan from the operator.

"It is a good initiative to expand internet access. It will help realise the government's Smart Bangladesh vision as internet is the most important tool for it," said TIM Nurul Kabir, a telecom expert.

There are about 13.13 crore internet subscribers in Bangladesh, of which 11.84 crore are mobile internet subscribers. The rest 1.28 crore are broadband users, according to data of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer of Robi Axiata Ltd, welcomed the move.

However, he said, considering the complexities in the fibre ecosystem in Bangladesh, there are certain challenges that need to be addressed for providing such services.

"We also need to keep in mind that access to fibre and dense network sites is a precondition for a wider 5G FWA service. We are hopeful of introducing FWA services after resolving the complexities."

Hossain Sadat, a senior director at Grameenphone, said they appreciate the time-befitting initiative of the BTRC.

"We are currently assessing the guidelines and will determine our next course of action upon receiving the formal licence."

However, broadband service providers are alarmed by the new move, fearing a potential downturn in their business in the future.

Md Emdadul Hoque, president of the Internet Service Provider Association of Bangladesh, said thousands of young people are employed by broadband internet businesses.

"The government should protect these small entrepreneurs," he said, urging the government to backtrack from the decision.

Currently, there are more than 3,000 ISPs in Bangladesh.

Abu Saeed Khan, a senior policy fellow at LIRNEasia, a Colombo-based think-tank, said FWA is a universal tool for 5G and an integral part of it.

"It is the only way to achieve mass penetration of broadband across the country."

He thinks ISPs should be allowed to provide various digital services, including video-streaming, and the government must not dictate their prices.

Besides, ISPs and mobile operators should be permitted to purchase wholesale internet, eliminating barriers created by International Internet Gateway (IIG) and Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN) services, Khan added.

In Bangladesh, IIG manages international internet connectivity while NTTNs facilitate nationwide fibre optic infrastructure.

An official of the BTRC said the regulator allowed mobile operators to launch the FWA service, keeping the future rollout of 5G in mind.

FWA services have gained traction in neighbouring countries in recent times.

In September last year, Reliance Jio launched its FWA device -- Jio AirFiber -- across eight cities in India, according to the Economic Times.

The move came just over a month after rival Bharti Airtel introduced its own device in two cities as both companies are making their initial attempts at monetising 5G services.

5G is developing rapidly worldwide, with more than 260 networks and more than 1.2 billion users.

5G FWA has become a mainstream service for half of 5G operators and amassed more than 10 million users, said Mobile World Live, the official news portal of GSMA, quoting Huawei Vice-President Yang Tao in September.

The country's three private mobile network operators are racing to grab a share of the rapidly expanding broadband market by offering fixed wireless access (FWA) services, which give users Wi-Fi connections without cables.

After the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) allowed mobile phone operators to launch FWA services in its cellular mobile services guidelines earlier this year, Grameenphone became the first to soft-launch such products.

It rolled out a service called "gpfi unlimited" yesterday.

Banglalink introduced FWA services last week in partnership with a third-party router supplier. Robi plans to roll out a similar service later this month.

The moves are expected to spark fierce competition in the Tk 8,000 crore broadband internet market in Bangladesh.

Competition will intensify not only among operators but also between network carriers and broadband internet operators.

In Bangladesh, telecom operators provide mobile internet while internet service providers (ISPs) offer broadband services.

Generally, mobile operators deliver services through cellular networks, utilising technologies such as 3G, 4G, and 5G, which enable wireless data transmission to smartphones and tablets, offering flexibility and mobility. On the other hand, broadband companies provide internet via fixed-line connections through cables or fibre optics.

In recent years, the broadband internet market in Bangladesh has expanded rapidly, with 1.34 crore subscriptions as of May, leading to the flourishing of a large number of service providers.

Now, mobile network operators will be able to offer similar services. In order to obtain the service, customers will need just an indoor modem or router and a subscription plan.

However, according to industry insiders, ensuring stable and high-speed connectivity with greater bandwidth and reliability compared to wired broadband will be difficult for operators.

Mohammad Sarwar Alam, assistant professor at the University of Chittagong, has been using 'gpfi' for over six months.

He identified the pros and cons of the service.

He said the internet speed is satisfactory, adding that he can take the router anywhere and use it wherever Grameenphone's network is available.

"However, if the user is present in a room while the router is kept in another room with the door closed, the internet speed starts to fluctuate."

Furthermore, the amount of available spectrum directly affects the capacity and speed of FWA services, posing a challenge for operators. This is because the deployment rate of higher frequency bands such as 2300 MHz and 2600 MHz, used for 4G LTE (long-term evolution), and potentially 5G technology, is low in Bangladesh.

Although the auction for these spectrum bands was held over two years ago, operators have deployed less than 20 percent of the frequencies they have purchased. These bands are crucial for FWA services as they support faster data rates and greater capacity, according to industry experts.

Grameenphone offers two types of routers: one priced at Tk 4,000, which can connect 10 devices, and another priced at Tk 7,500, which can support 32 devices.

Currently, there are three subscription plans: Tk 1,000 per month for 25 Mbps, Tk 1,300 per month for 30 Mbps, and Tk 1,900 per month for 40 Mbps.

As such, prices may be another barrier to mass usage as consumers can buy cheaper broadband packages from traditional ISPs.

Md Emdadul Hoque, president of the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh, stressed that mobile operators should not be allowed to provide any such services through cables.

Taimur Rahman, chief corporate and regulatory affairs officer of Banglalink, said: "Over the past 24 months, we have invested heavily in doubling our nationwide network coverage and enhancing our customers' digital experience by acquiring additional spectrum.

It now offers fixed wireless services through routers, including the Banglalink MiFi routers and fixed routers. Recently, the company partnered with TP-Link to provide high-quality speed with bundled offers.

"We believe in offering seamless, uninterrupted connectivity by combining mobile telephony and fixed wireless services, allowing customers to enjoy optimal internet speeds anytime, anywhere," Rahman said.

"We can do this, or this can be done through partnership models."

Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer of Robi Axiata Limited, said WFA has been launched in various countries around the world to cater to the growing demands for uninterrupted high-speed internet service.

Robi had completed preparations to provide wireless broadband services using advanced technology by combining 4G and 5G technology.

"The service will be launched on a wide scale soon," he said. "We believe that this service will open a new option for customers in terms of availing high-speed internet services."

He said competition in the internet service sector will increase through this initiative, providing quality internet service for consumers.

"However, to ensure customer satisfaction, we are conducting thorough market research and gathering overall experience on service delivery variables in this regard." 

Mobile operators performed poorly in the telecom regulator's latest drive test to assess service quality, reinforcing users' claims of experiencing substandard service.

The drive tests were conducted between February 14 and June 5 across Dhaka city corporations, Narayanganj, Keraniganj and Savar upazilas with the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission's newly acquired system from Germany that was purchased for 1.5 million euros.

Maintaining the quality of service (QoS) is a fundamental requirement enshrined in telecommunications licences, said Abu Nazam M Tanveer Hossain, a telecom sector expert.

"Since 2011, licensees have negotiated these standards through consultation and negotiation and the recent report, if accurate, highlights a significant failure to uphold the commitments made upon accepting these licences," he said.

Robi, which has 5.8 crore customers as of August, performed the best, failing in only five key performance indicators (KPIs) out of 40 across four areas.

Market leader Grameenphone, which has 8.5 crore subscribers, failed in six KPIs, Banglalink in 14 and Teletalk in a staggering 26, shows the test results.

For internet services, only the state-owned Teletalk failed to meet the BTRC's benchmarks, with Robi faring the best.

In Dhaka city, Banglalink, which has 4.2 crore customers, fared the worst among the three private carriers: it failed to meet five of the 10 KPIs. For instance, the operator's call drop rate was above the BTRC's ceiling of 2 percent in Dhaka city: it was 2.59 percent.

Over in Keraniganj upazila, all operators' call drop rate was above the BTRC's ceiling of 2 percent for 2G voice calls, with Banglalink faring the worst (4.25 percent).

However, for 4G voice calls in the upazila, only Banglalink passed the test, with Robi faring the worst (3.98 percent).

All four operators failed to meet the BTRC's ceiling for call setup time of 7 seconds in Savar for 2G voice calls.

Banglalink and Teletalk also failed in Keraniganj, while Teletalk missed the mark in Dhaka and Narayanganj.

For call setup success ratio, which should not be less than 97 percent, all operators except Grameenphone failed in Keraniganj.

For 2G voice calls, only Robi met the call setup success ratio in Dhaka and Narayanganj.

Read more

BTRC show-causes Robi, Banglalink for failing to improve service quality

The unsatisfactory performance comes as the operators are not fully utilising the spectrum from the higher bands assigned to them in March 2022. Conversely, the operators are relying on the lower band, which offers wider coverage with fewer base stations.

The higher band have a shorter range but more bandwidth, meaning better transmission capacity but with a higher concentration of base stations.

Banglalink, which purchased 40 MHz in the 2,300 band, has deployed the spectrum only to 7.07 percent of its sites, according to a BTRC presentation in June.

Grameenphone and Robi, both of whom bought 60 MHz in the 2,600 band, have deployed the spectrum to 11.92 percent and 17.76 percent of the sites respectively.

If the operators offload data service pressure to a higher band, the lower band spectrum is freed up to offer better 2G voice services.

However, the lack of proper spectrum usage is causing customers to experience poor signal, frequent call drops and mute calls.

Over the past decade, the BTRC has implemented measures such as infrastructure sharing and unified licensing to optimise operational costs.

Yet, the mobile operators' QoS is falling short of customer expectations.

The drive test result is a setback for operators, who often claim compliance with the BTRC benchmarks despite deteriorating service quality.

It also raises questions about their ambitions to become digital operators offering services such as payments and OTT platforms while struggling to provide core telecom services.

"The BTRC as the regulatory body should ensure satisfactory services and tariffs for the users," said Ghulam Rahman, president of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh.

Contacted, Emdad Ul Bari, who was appointed the chairman of the BTRC on September 10, said he has not seen the result of the drive test yet.

However, Bari said he sat with the chief executive officers of the telecom operators on Tuesday regarding QoS.

"We have urged them to find the way to ensure QoS, including when inside buildings," he said, adding that the BTRC will hold an industry consultation on the matter on October 10.

Robi and Banglalink said the drive test result conducted by the BTRC's newly procured tool differed from the ones derived from their own tests in several parameters.

The operators have expressed their concerns and feedback about the drive test results through the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh.

The results do not depict the correct picture, said Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer of Robi.

"We are hopeful in reaching an acceptable conclusion regarding the drive test results," Alam said, adding that Robi plans to roll out the 2,600 MHz band in 35 percent of the sites this year and will continue to deploy in more sites as per requirement and traffic forecast.

The BTRC's results do not reflect the network's performance and could cause confusion, said Taimur Rahman, chief corporate and regulatory affairs officer of Banglalink, adding that the operator is "fully utilising the 2,300 MHz band" at present.

The AMTOB, the BTRC and drive test vendors are working together on a unified methodology for calculating the KPIs as significant differences have been observed between the drive test results of the operators and the telecom regulator's, Grameenphone said in a statement.

About the low deployment of the spectrum from the 2,600 MHz band, Grameenphone said the 60 MHz of spectrum in the band was acquired to enhance capacity based on traffic and QoS demands.

The demands are determined by various ecosystem factors such as user behaviour, usage profiles, user concentration and handset penetration.

Grameenphone monitors traffic demand almost in real-time and initiates capacity expansion or new spectrum deployment as needed, the statement added.

Teletalk could not be reached for comment.

Though Lalmonirhat-3 has been a stronghold of the Jatiya Party, a partner in the Awami League-led grand alliance, since 1991, the Jatiya Oikyafront, led by the BNP and several other parties, is eyeing a win this time.

Oikyafront leaders said they are confident about victory as the opposition alliance fielded a well-known face in the constituency -- Lalmonirhat BNP President Asadul Habib Dulu.

Dulu will face JP Co-chair GM Quader, who was elected lawmaker twice from the constituency in 1996 and 2008. JP leader Riaz Uddin Ahmed won in the seat in 1991 and Dulu in 2001. AL leader Abu Saleh Mohammad Sayeed managed a victory in the 2014 polls when the JP fielded no candidate.

Dulu is the favourite this time as he is very well-known in the area and has always remained in contact with the voters, said Oikyafront sources.

“I am a local. So I know the sufferings of my people very well. Besides, I have worked really hard for the development of the district,” Dulu told The Daily Star on Monday.  

He termed his rival Quader, younger brother of JP chief HM Ershad, an outsider and claimed that he was totally disconnected from the voters. 

“Quader only visits the district before elections and disappears immediately,” Dulu said. “I believe the polls results will go in my favour if a peaceful voting environment is ensured.”

But Quader trashed the allegation.

“My opponents allege that I am an outsider. It is not true. In fact, I have a permanent home on the district's Hospital Road,” he told The Daily Star.

“I believe people will vote for me as I have been honest and always worked for the development of my constituency.”

Talking to these correspondents, SM Shafiqul Islam, president of the Lalmonirhat chapter of Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik, a platform working for good governance, said, ”It doesn't matter whether a candidate is a local or an outsider. What matters here is whether the contender is free from corruption.” 

Nazir Ali, 62, a farmer living in Lalmonirhat Sadar's Sindurmati village, said he has always found Dulu by his side during bad times.

But Dilruba Begum, 48, another resident in the area, said though the BNP leader was popular, many locals were not happy about his party's close links with Jamaat-e-Islami, which opposed Bangladesh's birth during the 1971 Liberation War.

Sabed Ali, 62, of Kulaghat village in the district, said the “only plus point” for Quader was that he was contesting as the AL-led alliance candidate. “He has not done anything remarkable for us.”

Visiting different areas of Lalmonirhat Sadar, these correspondents saw Quader's campaign was underway in full-swing. His posters were almost everywhere.

On the other hand, Dulu and his supporters began an energetic campaign after the army deployment on Monday, said locals.

However, BNP posters were seen only at a few places.

BNP supporters alleged police harassment even during the night. They said many of their leaders were staying outside their homes to avoid arrest.

However, SM Rashidul Haque, superintendent of police in the district, denied the allegation.  “We are not harassing anyone. We are only arresting those who are accused in different cases.” 

Deputy Commissioner Shafiul Arif, district returning officer, said, “The election environment is peaceful and no unexpected incidents took place.”

The constituency has a total of 252,243 voters.