Shahid Bappy

Staff Correspondent, The Daily Star

Mobile users count losses as call drops pile up

Mobile phone users in Bangladesh incurred a loss of nearly Tk 18.50 crore in the fiscal year of 2020-21 because of the telecom operators’ reluctance to compensate them for the disruptions they faced during calls.

3y ago

BTRC moves to make 4G internet faster

The telecom regulator plans to set new standard for 4G and broadband internet speed as part of its move to ensure much-needed faster digital connectivity for the users across the country.

3y ago

Robi, Banglalink set to sell towers

Robi Axiata and Banglalink are in the final phase of negotiations to sell their towers in order to cut maintenance costs.

3y ago

No mobile handset will be shut down: Jabbar

The telecom ministry has decided not to shut down the network of any mobile handset whatever or not it is registered with the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.

3y ago

Facebook outage hits entrepreneurs hard

Monday night’s six-hour Facebook outage hit thousands of F-commerce entrepreneurs in the country as they neither could promote their products nor make deals during that period.

3y ago

Robi, Banglalink fined for flouting rules

Robi  Axiata Ltd and Banglalink Digital Communications Ltd were fined Tk  10 lakh each for providing telecom value-added service (TVAS) to  customers through unauthorised firms and attempting to dodge revenue.

3y ago

Unregistered Handsets: BTRC blocks 82k phones in two days

The telecom regulator blocked 81,868 new handsets as of Saturday evening from connecting to mobile networks as the devices were not registered with the National Equipment Identity Register.

3y ago

Network of illegal handsets barred

Illegal handsets will not get network connectivity from today as the government look to curb the menace of duty-dodging while importing mobile phones, which also undercuts the competitiveness of the locally assembled devices.

3y ago
September 14, 2021
September 14, 2021

Suffering lingers for duped e-commerce customers

Md Nabid Rahman, employed at a private company in Dhaka, made a payment of Tk 12.5 lakh to e-commerce platform Dhamaka in March for two motorcycles and other products which were on offer at hefty discounts.

September 8, 2021
September 8, 2021

Govt mulls policy on food delivery

With the demand for food delivery through online purchase growing fast, the government is planning to frame a policy in order to streamline the business and protect interests of all the actors in the chain, including customers and suppliers.

September 7, 2021
September 7, 2021

Amendment To Telecom Act: Govt set to clip BTRC wings

The telecom regulatory commission will be shorn of whatever independence and powers it has if the government presses on with the planned amendment to Bangladesh Telecommunications Act.

September 2, 2021
September 2, 2021

Buying SIMs without NID Card: BTRC decides to cap it to two

A mobile phone user will not be able to get more than two SIM cards against his or her passport or driving licence or birth certificate, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has decided.

August 1, 2021
August 1, 2021

Broadband Internet: User number hits 1cr milestone

The number of broadband internet connections has surpassed the 1 crore mark in June for the first time as a vast number of people now rely on the internet due to the pandemic which propelled work from home practices and remote learning.

July 4, 2021
July 4, 2021

Operators eye SIM-locked phones to ramp up 4G use

Mobile phone operators are seeking permission from the government to sell network-locked or fixed-SIM handsets at lower prices so that more people can afford smartphones and use 4G service.

June 22, 2021
June 22, 2021

GP retrenches 159 employees

Grameenphone retrenched 159 employees on Sunday after they refused to accept its voluntary retirement scheme (VRS).

June 14, 2021
June 14, 2021

Banks face IT audits

The ICT Division will likely commence an IT audit on banks next month to measure their capability to thwart cyberattacks as growing digitalisation and remote working arrangements have augmented the financial sector’s exposure to online crimes.

June 4, 2021
June 4, 2021

A boost for ICT

The government is going to bolster the country’s expanding ICT sector with tax exemptions in six more services and VAT waiver on hardware manufacturing as it looks to prepare the nation for the fourth industrial revolution.

May 25, 2021
May 25, 2021

No respite from unwanted texts

Mobile phone subscribers are still being flooded with promotional and commercial messages even a month after they opted to block them, which highlighted that the regulator’s directive to the carriers to stop the nuisance is not working.