Mobile operators and BTRC must ensure consumers with the cheap high speed internet
SETTING a fixed floor price for data, decreasing the number of packages and providing flexible plans that carry forward are priority demands of mobile internet users in Bangladesh. The survey, conducted by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), in a recent study, found that 54.9 per cent of participants want mobile operators to provide a maximum of 40 to 45 data plans, down from 95 packages at present.
The BTRC study found that unlimited data service does not actually protect the interests of the customer; rather quality telecommunication service needs to be ensured. Among the 549 participants, 49.5 per cent were students, 29.1 per cent were employees, 9.5 per cent were businessmen, and 6 per cent were from other professions. About 87.8 per cent of respondents said that if they purchase any package within the validity period of another package, unused data should be added to the new plan.
According to ‘Worldwide Mobile Data Pricing 2022’, Bangladesh ranks 12th in terms of receiving data at low prices worldwide. However, Bangladesh ranks 125th among 139 countries in terms of mobile internet speed. Currently, data only gets carried forward if a customer purchases a similar data package before the initial one expires. There is a need to move away from price fixing in the telecom sector and address inconsistencies in supply lines. The number of packages should be decided by the operators themselves but as a regulator, the BTRC should aim to ensure that customers are not cheated in any way.
Several factors come into play in determining the price of mobile data, infrastructure being one of them. Mobile networks are generally more dependent on fixed-line connections. Mobile network operators design their packages as per the demand of customers and that is why it sometimes seems to be too much. We are asking the mobile operators and the BTRC to ensure the consumers with cheap high speed internet to make Digital Bangladesh.
