BM Desk :The Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) has strongly opposed the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission’s (BTRC) draft guidelines for fixed telecom service providers (FTSPs), warning that the proposed changes could trigger an 18.4 percent surge in internet prices and have a catastrophic impact on the nation’s internet service industry.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Raowa Club in Dhaka, ISPAB leaders said the new regulatory framework would impose additional financial burdens on local internet service providers (ISPs) while allowing unfair advantages for mobile operators and foreign companies.

Under the draft guidelines, FTSPs would be required to pay 5.5 percent of their revenue to the government, along with an additional 1 percent contribution to the social obligation fund. ISPAB estimated that operators’ purchasing costs would rise by around 14 percent as a result.

“These new financial impositions, coupled with the extension of fixed wireless and hotspot privileges to mobile telecom operators, could threaten the survival of around 2,700 smaller domestic ISPs,” the association cautioned.

ISPAB President Aminul Hakim sharply criticised the policy shift, saying the interim government’s telecom policies have drifted from their original public-interest goals.

“The government is heading in the wrong direction,” Hakim said. “They talk about reducing internet prices, but their policies are making it more expensive.”

Hakim presented an analysis showing that the government currently collects 21.45 percent of revenue from the telecom sector through various sources, including submarine cables, international internet gateways, international terrestrial cables, revenue sharing, social obligation contributions, and VAT.
Under the proposed guidelines, the government’s total share would rise to 40.25 percent, he said.

Hakim also pointed out inconsistencies in the licensing fees, noting that Starlink a global satellite internet provider has been granted a licence for only US$10,000 (around Tk 12 lakh), while local ISPs are required to pay Tk 2.5 million.

“Why is a global company being given preferential treatment?” he asked.

The ISPAB further expressed concern that the draft guidelines explicitly allow mobile operators to offer fixed connectivity via fixed wireless access and last-mile fibre links—something the association believes would lead to unfair competition against local ISPs who have built networks through their own investments.

“The proposed policy will widen the digital divide between urban and rural areas,” Hakim warned, adding that consumers would ultimately bear the negative consequences of such regulatory decisions.