B Mirror Desk : The Special Assistant to the Principal Advisor on Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, Faiz Ahmed Tayyab, has called on mobile operators to lower their internet prices. He indicated that reductions will occur at three different levels. The authorities at Fiber at Home have announced a price decrease for their three tiers of connections.
On Monday morning, Faiz Ahmed shared this update on his Facebook page, stating that Fiber at Home will implement a 10 percent reduction at the ITC level, a 10 percent decrease at the IIG level, and a 15 percent cut at the NTTN level.
Faiz Ahmed also noted that efforts are underway to lower internet prices across three to four levels at the internet licensing stage. At the international gateway level, the Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company has already reduced its prices by 10 percent across all services. Furthermore, the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPAB) recently announced that it will offer 10 Mbps internet service to consumers for 500 taka. Additionally, the government-operated mobile service provider Teletalk has declared a 10 percent price reduction effective from Eid-ul-Fitr.
Faiz Ahmed has now urged the three private mobile operators in the country to follow suit and reduce their prices. He emphasized that the government has already provided Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) and dark fiber facilities to mobile companies. Given this support, there is no valid justification for private mobile operators to refrain from lowering internet prices. The government has extended policy support to these operators, and internet prices have been reduced at both the wholesale international and national levels through a collaborative public-private initiative. It is now time for them to participate in this national effort.
Faiz Ahmed expressed optimism that the initiative to lower mobile internet prices will help alleviate the current high inflation rates to some degree. He also anticipates that the three private mobile operators will soon announce a sensible reduction in mobile internet costs.
According to Faiz Ahmed, the government is looking for two types of price decreases: first, the operators should lower the prices that were raised due to adjustments linked to the government’s tariff increase initiative. Secondly, consumer internet prices should decrease in proportion to the reductions in wholesale prices at the international gateway, ITC, IIG, and national transmission levels.
The special assistant to the chief advisor noted that there are significant concerns regarding the value of mobile internet services in Bangladesh, as prices are considerably higher than the quality provided. In light of this, the government is dedicated to implementing reasonable measures to protect consumer interests.
