Bangladesh’s telecommunications sector has played a critical role in advancing the country’s digital transformation, connecting millions of citizens and enabling the growth of digital services, mobile finance, e-commerce, and online education. However, the sector now stands at a pivotal moment where policy modernisation, regulatory clarity and forward-looking reforms can unlock the next phase of growth.
Drawing upon the analysis presented in the Telecom White Paper, sponsored by Post & Telecom Divison (PTD), the following priority policy actions are recommended to strengthen sector sustainability, improve service quality, attract investment, and ensure that Bangladesh’s telecommunications ecosystem remains competitive in the evolving global digital landscape. These recommendations focus on practical reforms that can be implemented through coordinated action by the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), and other relevant government agencies.
Introducing a unified, technology-neutral licensing framework
The current model still carries multiple overlapping categories, e.g. ICX (22), IGW (24), IIG (36), ISP (~2,500+); even though service boundaries have converged. A modern framework should allow operators to provide multiple services under one broad authorisation, subject to clear technical and competition safeguards.
Publish a time-bound licensing transition and migration plan
Reform works best when it protects continuity for firms, workers, and consumers. Bangladesh should therefore publish a formal migration roadmap for moving from legacy licensing layers to a simplified model. The BWA experience showed the cost of abrupt policy shifts. The transition plan should include grandfathering windows, co-existence periods, interworking rules, staff redeployment support, and readiness tests before any category is retired.
Rationalise license numbers through market and demand assessment
The Telecom white paper shows clear oversupply in several segments, while legal international voice has fallen from roughly 90–95 million minutes/day in 2015 to around 5 million in 2025. This indicates that some categories no longer match market reality. Bangladesh should require demand studies, traffic forecasts, and viability reviews before issuing new licenses. Existing crowded segments need to be encouraged toward orderly consolidation.
Re-establish competitive market environment by controlling cross-layer dominance
Cross-layer holdings in ITC, IIG, NTTN, ISP and related segments can create pricing asymmetry and limit access for smaller firms. The solution is not necessarily prohibition in every case, but clear Significant Market Power (SMP) reviews, accounting separation, open-access reference offers, and non-discrimination audits. This is especially important in backbone segments where concentration is already high.
Adopt a five-year national spectrum roadmap
A published five-year spectrum roadmap should specify which bands will be released, when, under what license terms, with what coverage obligations, and for which use cases such as 5G, FWA, enterprise networks, or rural expansion. Today, delayed and uncertain allocations, especially in low bands discourage long-term investment. A roadmap will help synchronise network planning, device readiness, and infrastructure rollout. It will also align Bangladesh more closely with global good practice followed by Ofcom, FCC, and other advanced regulators.
Reform spectrum pricing to support investment and utilization
The proposed 700 MHz reserve price of Tk 237 crore/MHz is far above many international benchmarks and could push spectrum cost to 14 – 16% of operator revenue, compared with the current 9 – 12%. Overpriced spectrum often remains unsold, creating lost economic opportunity. Bangladesh should adopt a transparent valuation model based on propagation value, coverage impact, market demand, and socio-economic benefit.
Enable spectrum trading, leasing, refarming, and sharing
At present, lack of post-assignment flexibility leads to idle holdings in some places and congestion in others. Global practice shows that flexible use rights improve efficiency and accelerate innovation. Bangladesh can begin with tightly governed rules, transparent approval criteria, and a public spectrum register.
Move beyond passive sharing to active infrastructure sharing
The white paper notes that active sharing has been discussed for years but not implemented, despite global evidence that it can reduce rollout costs by 30 to 40%. This is particularly useful in low-density rural areas, where standalone site-builds are often not financially viable. Properly designed rules can protect competition while lowering CAPEX, reducing diesel use, and improving coverage.
Launch a single-window digital permitting and import clearance system
Bangladesh should create a single-window digital platform for permits, fiber cut approvals, RoW (Right of Way), site permissions, and telecom equipment import clearance. The current multi-desk, paper-heavy process slows rollout and affects smaller operators most. A pre-certified equipment registry, blanket approvals for repeat models, and statutory decision SLAs will directly lower deployment cost and demurrage.
Creating modern consumer protection and QoS enforcement regime
Current indicators are concerning Bangladesh ranks 93rd out of 154 countries in Ookla mobile internet performance, and formal response to complaints is reportedly below 2%. BTRC should adopt standardised operator-wise scorecards for speed, latency, call drops, and complaint closure, aligned with ITU/ETSI methods. A unified complaint portal with SLA-based escalation and proportionate penalties will make protections visible and enforceable.
Make affordability a core policy goal, not a side effect
The effective government-take on mobile recharge is estimated at 54–56%, which reduces adoption and reinvestment. Policy should gradually shift toward a more growth-friendly cost structure: targeted device or data vouchers for low-income groups, rationalisation of minimum tariffs, and better use of the Social Obligation Fund (SOF) for demand-side inclusion. This will increase usage, not just nominal coverage.
Redesigning the social obligation fund around measurable outcomes
Bangladesh has a valuable financing instrument in the SOF, funded by 1% of operator revenue, yet only about 57% (roughly Tk2,000 crore out of Tk3,500 crore) has reportedly been allocated so far. The next step is to move from input-based funding to output-based funding. Projects should pay for verified results: actual speeds, uptime, latency, school and clinic connectivity, and genuine household adoption in underserved areas. Public dashboards and independent audit will improve transparency and confidence.
Build a future-ready framework for 5G, IoT, AI, Cloud, and Data centres
A national 5G strategy should define use cases, spectrum priorities, small-cell policy, fiber backhaul needs, and private/enterprise network options. In parallel, IoT and AI should move to a ‘sandbox’ plus risk-tiered model, allowing low-risk pilots to proceed quickly while high-risk applications face stronger oversight. Cloud, edge, and data center investment should be supported through licensing clarity and incentives.
Establish strong sector-wide privacy, cybersecurity, and breach reporting rules
Core actions should include specific incident reporting, mandatory baseline security controls, vendor assurance, privacy-by-design, and time-bound breach notification. Operators and critical agencies should align with recognized standards such as ISO/IEC 27001 and conduct regular drills and audits. Stronger cybersecurity will protect citizens, improve national resilience, and raise investor confidence in digital infrastructure.
Clarify institutional roles and build evidence-based governance capacity
Bangladesh should establish a permanent BTRC Research Division and a DoT-led PMO with public KPIs. This will support data-driven decisions on licensing, pricing, inclusion, and competition. Better governance is the foundation on which all other telecom reforms succeed.
These reforms are not only about improving regulatory efficiency; they are about ensuring that Bangladesh continues to expand connectivity, support innovation, and position itself competitively within the global digital landscape.
Through coordinated action by PTD, DoT, BTRC, and other relevant government institutions, Bangladesh has a unique opportunity to shape a telecommunications environment that is investment-friendly, technologically adaptable, and focused on delivering high-quality digital services to all citizens.
The writer is a Partner, Consultant Network (C-Net)
