4G mobile internet service has been after 10 days of shutdown. However, TikTok and Meta services, including Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, will remain restricted. Earlier in the day, State Minister of Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak announced that mobile internet will be restored at 3pm today. The minister came up with the announcement while briefing the media following a meeting with Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh. Palak said all subscribers will get 5 GB internet for 3 days for free. Regarding access to social medial platforms, the state minister said the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has sent letters to authorities of social media platforms including Facebook, Tiktok and YouTube. Palak said that Facebook is promoting the content that is supposed to be automatically blocked according to their policy. “No action has been taken against those contents and we wanted to know why they didn't take action.” Read: Decision on mobile internet restoration after meeting with AMTOB: Palak “Their representatives were summoned to explain it in Dhaka  by July 31. Then decision will be taken after discussing with them,” he added. Following a complete internet blackout for five days, the government restored only broadband internet connections from Tuesday night (July 23) on a priority basis. In the wake of violence amid students’ demonstrations for quota reform, the government halted mobile internet services in the morning on July 18 and at 9pm on the same day broadband internet services were suspended, disconnecting Bangladesh with the rest of the world online and disrupting various services. On Saturday, Palak claimed that internet was not intentionally shut down but was disrupted due to the burning of three data centers and hundreds of kilometers of cables. These incidents caused a loss of Tk500 crore in the telecom sector alone and a total loss of hundreds of crores of taka, he added. He also said that there were attacks at 17 locations in Dhaka Division. “In Mohakhali, three data centers housed 18 IIG systems, which host 70% of the ISP servers, causing the internet disruption. We did not intentionally shut down the internet.” He said these while addressing an event held at Agargaon in the capital marking Sajeeb Wazed Joy's 54th birthday. Mobile internet temporarily shut down, says Palak; cites unstable situation as reason  

In response to the unrest sparked by ongoing protests demanding reforms to the quota system in government jobs, mobile internet services have been temporarily shut down, State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, Zunaid Ahmed Palak said today (July 18, 2024). During a press briefing at the ICT Tower in Dhaka’s Agargaon, Palak addressed the media, saying, “Mobile internet services have been temporarily halted due to the unstable situation created centering the protests. Once the situation stabilizes, we will restore connectivity promptly.” ‘Complete Shutdown’: Protestors, police clash in Dhaka’s Uttara; police box and 2 buses vandalized The state minister explained that the suspension was necessary to curb the spread of rumors and maintain stability amid the protests. “Various groups with vested interest have been spreading false information on social media, contributing to the instability. Hence, the decision to shut down mobile internet services was made without prior notice, based on the evolving situation,” he added. Palak also highlighted the government’s communication with major social media platforms like Facebook, Google, YouTube, and TikTok. He expressed dissatisfaction with their privacy policies concerning the removal of controversial content. “We have contacted these companies, but their privacy policies regarding content removal are not satisfactory. If their actions lead to any casualties, they will not be exempt from accountability. These companies must establish data centers in Bangladesh and operate in compliance with local laws,” he said. Read more: Shutdown cripples capital city amid clashes between police and protesters

Local people have claimed that they are facing disruption in mobile internet services in the district since 10 am on Saturday, ahead of the BNP’s divisional rally in Faridpur. Mobile phone users said that they are unable use mobile internet since morning. AB Siddique Mithu, convener of press sub-committee of BNP’s Faridpur Divisional rally, said, “The government is trying to hinder the rally but their ill efforts will not see success.” Read: As BNP holds rally, users in Barishal complain of disrupted internet service Thousands of leaders and followers of the BNP and its associate bodies have turned out for the party's rally in Faridpur, overcoming various obstacles and a bus strike that began on Friday morning. The rally, organised by Faridpur district unit BNP, formally began at 11am onKomorpur Abdul Aziz Institution premises, around 6km away from the district town.

The 3G and 4G mobile internet services have been restored in Dhaka division after 11 hours of being suspended since Friday morning. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) through an email asked to restore the 3G and 4G services around 4pm in Dhaka division, said officials of the operators. The service was restored in Barishal division at 5pm, at 6pm in Khulna, and at 7pm in Sylhet, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, and Rangpur as per the instruction of BTRC. However, it was not mentioned when the mobile service would be restored in Chattogram division. Read:3G, 4G mobile internet services ‘suspended’ in Bangladesh Earlier, cellphone users were largely unable to use the internet through mobile data as mobile internet speeds in the country have been awfully slow since Friday morning. Contacted, mobile operators told the UNB correspondent that the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has directed them through a notice to keep the 3G and 4G mobile data services suspended across the country from Friday 5am until further direction. As UNB sought his comments, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar said the 3G and 4G mobile internet services have been suspended due to some technical glitches.

Cellphone users are largely unable to use the internet through mobile data as mobile internet speeds in the country have been awfully slow since Friday morning. Contacted, mobile operators told the UNB correspondent that the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has directed them through a notice to keep the 3G and 4G mobile data services suspended across the country from Friday 5am until further direction. Also read: Govt shuts off mobile internet As UNB sought his comments, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar said the 3G and 4G mobile internet services have been suspended due to some technical glitches. “The services will go back to normal as soon as the issues are fixed,” he added. Also read: Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram suffer worldwide outage

In the last one year, global mobile internet speed has increased by 59.5 percent while in Bangladesh it has increased by 15.38 percent only, which is about one-fourth of the global average,  revealed a recently published Global Index by Ookla. According to the data presented in the index, the average download speed of mobile internet in the world in July 2020 was 34.52 megabytes per second (Mbps). In July this year, which increased to 55.07 Mbps. Read Internet Safety Tips for Children, Teens, and Adults Meanwhile, the average download speed of mobile internet in Bangladesh in July last year was 10.92 Mbps which has increased slightly to 12.6 Mbps by July, this year. However, Bangladesh is ahead in the rate of broadband internet speed is compared to how worse the average is than the global average in the mobile internet index. Read Bangladesh needs to ensure quality internet at affordable rate: experts  Compared to July last year, the speed of broadband connectivity in the world has increased by an average of 31.87 percent in July this year. In Bangladesh alone, the growth rate is 42.59 percent.                      Bangladesh’s position in the Ookla Mobile Internet Speed ​​Index has always been at the tail-end places. Like in June, Bangladesh was at number 135 in July. However, in the June report, Bangladesh was at 135 out of 137 countries, and in July, it was out of 139 countries. Read 170,000 schools to be connected with high speed internet by 2030: Palak The Ookla report provides a comparative picture of the average Internet speed in many countries around the world. After analyzing the data for one month, they publish the report in the middle of the next month. According to the latest report published in July, the average speed of mobile internet in Bangladesh was 12.6 Mbps, whereas the global average speed was 55 Mbps.  

Airtel is offering 4GB data at Tk 64 to facilitate the community of friends to stay connected with each other during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Banglalink, one of the leading digital communications service providers in Bangladesh, in partnership with Facebook, announced the launch of ‘Internet101’, a nationwide digital campaign aimed to increase the adoption of mobile internet across Bangladesh.