Internet prices in Bangladesh are set to decrease across three additional infrastructure levels, according to Fayez Ahmed Tayeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Advisor and acting head of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology.
In a Facebook post on Monday morning, Fayez stated that Fiber@Home has confirmed price cuts at the following tiers:
- ITC (International Terrestrial Cable): 10% reduction
- IIG (International Internet Gateway): 10% reduction
- NTTN (National Transmission Network): 15% reduction
This follows earlier commitments from licensed ISPs to offer 10 Mbps internet for 500 BDT, replacing the previous 5 Mbps at the same price. Additionally, the Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company had already reduced international gateway prices by 10% for all IIGs and ISPs, and by a total of 20% for wholesale customers.
With these measures, internet prices have been lowered now at nearly every level of the infrastructure, except for mobile services. Fayez emphasised that it's the responsibility of the three private mobile operators to follow suit now.
He noted that the government has already provided these mobile operators with access to BWDM and dark fibre facilities. Therefore, there is no valid reason for them to delay reducing mobile internet prices.
"The government has offered policy support and worked jointly with the private sector to bring down internet costs at wholesale levels nationally and internationally. It's time for mobile operators to step up and join this national effort. We hope that lowering mobile internet costs will also slightly ease the current inflation," he wrote.
Fayez also highlighted that state-owned Teletalk offered a 10% discount on internet prices during Eid-ul-Fitr. The government now expects the private operators to announce similar or better price cuts soon. Two types of reductions are expected:
Reversing the price hikes made in March due to SRO (Statutory Regulatory Order) adjustments, which the government has since retracted.
Reducing consumer prices in proportion to the wholesale cost reductions at the ITC, IIG, and NTTN levels.
He concluded by pointing out that the quality of mobile internet in Bangladesh has long been questioned. The government remains committed to ensuring fair, affordable internet access for all consumers.
