The minimum speed for 4G has been set at 10 Mbps, said Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, special assistant to the Chief Adviser for the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology.

Tayieb shared this information in a post on his Facebook page on Sunday.

The new policy, approved at last week’s BTRC meeting following expert consultations, set the minimum 4G speed at 10 Mbps.

BTRC (Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission) will conduct monthly network performance and health checks of the previous month which will come into effect from September.

He said the move is new for Bangladesh and aligns with international best practices to ensure telecom service quality.

Under the updated QoS framework, operators must maintain a minimum 4G speed of 10 Mbps in drive tests, reduce the minimum call drop rate and submit mandatory monthly reports covering various service metrics.

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QoS benchmarks which were inadequate and outdated has now been made practical and realistic, he noted adding that the updated guidelines will be issued soon.

Faiz Ahmed wrote telecom providers in Bangladesh have historically underinvested in 4G, resulting in declining service quality.

The new licensing policies incorporate obligations and QoS standards to enhance accountability and improve service delivery.

The revised QoS includes the following key parameters:

·         Call Setup Success Rate: At least 99% at the network level and 98% at district and sub-district levels.

·         Call Drop Rate: Maximum 1% for 2G networks and 1.5% at sub-district level.

·         4G Data Connection Success Rate: 99% at network level, 98.5% at district level.

·         Average User Download Speed: Minimum 3.5 Mbps at network level, 2.5 Mbps at district level.

·         Drive Test Voice Metrics: Call setup success 98% or higher, call drop (automated) below 2%, and VoLTE user experience index at least 3.5.

·         Data Service Speed: Minimum 10 Mbps download and 2 Mbps upload.

Faiz wrote operators will now submit monthly reports on key performance indicators (KPIs) categorised into three areas: accessibility, retainability and network integrity.

BTRC will aggregate monthly results at network, district, and sub-district levels and maintain a list of the 50 worst-performing cells in accessibility and retainability, he added.

Mandatory monthly reporting will also pressure operators to maintain service quality, particularly in rural and suburban areas where complaints of poor network and frequent call drops remain high.

The updated QoS benchmarks also cover fixed internet and telephony services as well as NTN operators.

Foyez Ahmed added that BTRC has set strict standards for customer complaint resolution under the QoS policy.

Non-network complaints must be resolved within 28 days, and 90% of calls to customer service centers must be answered within 40 seconds, with all calls answered within 90 seconds, he added.