He warned that the proposed reforms could disproportionately impact small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and local entrepreneurs
BNP holds emergency meeting on 3 July 2025. Photo: TBS
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BNP holds emergency meeting on 3 July 2025. Photo: TBS
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has voiced serious concerns regarding the newly proposed telecom policy.
Speaking at an emergency press conference held at the party chairperson’s office in Gulshan at 1pm today (3 July), BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the party has taken note of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission’s (BTRC) recent initiative titled the “Draft Telecom Network and Licensing Reform Policy 2025.”
While acknowledging the initiative as commendable in its objective—aiming to simplify the licensing process, encourage technological advancement, and increase digital inclusion for rural populations—he cautioned against hasty decisions on such a nationally significant issue.
Mirza Fakhrul stated, “Despite the policy’s positive intent, a detailed analysis of the draft reveals several critical issues that could hinder equitable and sustainable development in the telecom sector.”
He warned that the proposed reforms could disproportionately impact small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and local entrepreneurs. The BNP urged the government to conduct a thorough financial and social impact assessment and engage in participatory consultations with all stakeholders—especially SMEs, experts, and consumer organisations—before finalising the policy.
“Given the upcoming national election, we believe it is inappropriate to unilaterally implement such a major policy reform at this time,” Fakhrul added.
He also expressed concern that lifting restrictions on cross-ownership could lead to monopolies, allowing large telecom operators to dominate multiple service sectors. “This would reduce market competition and push smaller players further behind,” he said.
On 22 April, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) published a draft of the “Telecommunication Network and Licensing Regime Reform Policy 2025”, aimed at overhauling the country’s complex telecom licensing structure prevailing for the past one and half decades.
The telecom regulator, in a bid to deregulate and simplify the existing structure, has proposed eliminating the several licensing layers from the current licensing regime and limit the layers to just three major categories.
The categories are international connectivity service providers, national infrastructure and connectivity service providers, and access network service providers.
During today’s event Mirza Fakhrul pointed out the risk of financial strain for SMEs—especially local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and small telecom operators—due to unclear directives on asset management and accountability in a deregulated environment.
Another issue highlighted was the ambiguity surrounding the duration of foreign ownership rights, which could discourage investment and destabilise the sector.
“Big companies may end up taking over more of the market,” Fakhrul concluded.
BNP standing committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, media wing official Shamsuddin Didar, and media cell member Shairul Kabir Khan were also present at the press conference.