BTRC has started working to reduce internet prices

The Dhaka Times Desk Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has started working to reduce internet prices.

It is known that cost modeling has already started with the help of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

A BTRC official told the media that a special meeting was organized at the BTRC office yesterday (June 8) with the help of ITU.

Last April, Minister of State for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim said that the new price of internet will be determined within the next 6 months. For this reason BTRC was asked to develop cost modeling from the Department of Telecommunication.

An official of BTRC told the media that cost modeling was discussed in a meeting with BTRC and stakeholders. But no final decision has come yet.

According to the latest data of BTRC, the total number of internet subscribers in the country is 6 crore 72 lakh 45 thousand. Out of this, mobile internet is 6 crore 31 lakh 20 thousand, WiMAX 89 thousand and Internet Service Provider (ISP) and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) subscribers are 4 lakh 36 thousand.

It is to be noted that the last time on August 31, 2015, the government fixed the price of bandwidth per Mbps (megabyte per second) from 1 thousand 68 taka to a minimum of 625 taka. According to the Department of Telecommunications, the cost of Internet in Bangladesh is the third lowest in the world.