Internet Service Provider Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) has announced to provide 10 Mbps internet speed to broadband users for Tk 500.
The organisation's President Md Emdadul Hoque said, "From today (Saturday), customers will get 10 Mbps instead of 5 Mbps for Tk 500."
He made this statement at a roundtable discussion titled "Internet Services: Problems, Opportunities and Actions" at the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Auditorium in Agargaon of the capital on Saturday.
The event was organized by Telecom and Technology Reporter's Network, Bangladesh (TRNB). Chief Adviser's Special Assistant for Posts, Telecommunications and ICT Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, and BTRC Chairman Major General (retd) Major General Md Emdad ul Bar were present at the event.
Emdadul Hoque said "In the current digital age and to harness the potential of future internet usage, the minimum broadband speed should be 20 Mbps. For this, the process of license up-gradation of ISPs that have advanced technology and infrastructure should be started quickly."
He assured that if they get some policy support from government, 20 Mbps internet service will be provided for Tk 500 soon.
Chief Adviser's Special Assistant Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb commented in a Facebook post about the matter that according to the promise of ISP associations, from now on, customers will get 10 Mbps speed service with an internet package of Tk 500. This paves the way for the cancellation of the recognition of broadband at speeds below 5 Mbps.
He also said that we want a minimum speed of 20 Mbps to be guaranteed very soon. For this, policy reforms are being taken to provide necessary policy support including active sharing to broadband internet providers.
However, the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Consumers' Association (BMPCA) has rejected ISPAB's decision.
BMPCA President Mohiuddin Ahmed said in a statement that the speed of broadband internet to a minimum of 10 Mbps is tantamount to cheating customers. The government has already reduced the price of submarine cable bandwidth by 10 per cent. The consumer association played a leading role in withdrawing the five percent VAT. Moreover, the complexity of fiber has been resolved.
He further said that providers from India are buying 1 Gbps of internet for just Tk 80, while customers are buying it for lakhs of taka. Customers expected the minimum internet speed to be 20 Mbps and the maximum to be 100 Mbps.
The organization said that it would be unfair and unreasonable to impose BTRC's decision on customers.
