BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir spoke at a press conference at the party Chairperson’s Gulshan office in Dhaka today. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, June 3, 2025 (BSS) - Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) today expressed concern over the recently formulated draft of the “Telecom Network and Licensing Reform Policy” 2025 of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

“It is not appropriate to formulate a telecom policy ahead of the national elections. We are expressing concern about taking a hasty decision in such a nationally important matter at this time,” BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told a press conference at the party Chairperson’s Gulshan office here.

Fakhrul said the objective of this policy is to simplify the licensing procedure, encourage technological advancement and increase the digital inclusion of the rural people; which is certainly a positive thing.

However, the draft policy has been analyzed and found to have some serious problems; which may hinder equitable and sustainable development in the telecom sector, he added. 

BNP is constructively highlighting the potential weaknesses, ambiguities and some provisions of the draft that may give greater benefits to large mobile operators – which may harm small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and local entrepreneurs,” said the BNP secretary general.

Fakhrul urged the interim government to finalize the policy after conducting a full economic and social impact analysis and participatory discussions with all stakeholders before implementing this important policy. 

“BNP believes that it would not be appropriate to unilaterally formulate such a nationally important policy at this time, especially considering the upcoming national elections,” he said.

Highlighting the potential problems and challenges that this policy may pose, Fakhrul said if the ban on ownership of multiple service sectors is lifted, large mobile operators can establish monopoly control in multiple sectors. 

This will reduce competition and leave small businesses behind and this could lead to financial crisis for small and medium businesses, he added.

The BNP Secretary General said there is ambiguity about the ownership limits for foreign investors, which can discourage investment and disrupt the stability of the sector. 

Large companies can capture more markets due to the lack of a clear explanation on vertical and parallel ownership, he said.

Highlighting various aspects of the “ambiguity” of this policy, Fakhrul said it is not clear where the fiber-based business connection services of mobile operators are limited, which can lead to disputes and inequality.

The BNP Secretary General mentioned there is no clear direction in the policy on satellite broadband or new digital services, which can confuse investors.

Noting that such policies are biased towards large mobile operators, he said large companies will be benefitted from consolidating ISP licenses. 

The dependence on spectrum in ANSP licenses will keep big companies ahead, he said adding even if fixed telecom licenses are open, services will have to be provided across the country and high standards will have to be maintained, which will be a challenge for SMEs.

The BNP Secretary General said allowing big mobile companies to enter the enterprise broadband market will leave small companies behind in the competition and create a monopoly environment, which will also have an adverse impact on the overall economy of the country.

Stating that the benefits of existing operators will increase in the policy, he said that some policies have clearly maintained the benefits of big companies, which will not increase competition but rather dominance.

"Caution, transparency and participation must be ensured in formulating such a national-level telecom policy. With national elections ahead, decisions should not be taken in haste,” said Mirza Fakhrul.

He said BNP believes that policies that bring benefits to everyone are acceptable. 
“We will continue to work with the commitment to equality-based development and national digital security and sovereignty through digital connectivity,” he said.

Standing Committee Member Dr. Abdul Moyeen Khan was present at the press conference.