Post, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Mustafa Jabbar has said the government has taken an initiative to adjust the internet price of mobile data packages.
The minister on Sunday was talking to reporters after a meeting with an eight-member delegation team of Estonia, led by its Foreign Minister Sven Mikser, at the secretariat.
Terming internet as the lifeline of digital Bangladesh, Jabbar said: The government has taken a special initiative to make it easy for customer to use internet,” reports UNB.
Minister Jabbar said: "The government has taken an initiative to bring discipline in the price of internet in data package for the mobile users.
At present, a disorganized and indiscipline situation has been prevailing in the price of internet in the mobile phone sector but we assure you that it will be fixed.”
“The mobile phone users have faced problem while using internet after buying data packages from mobile phone operators, as the mobile phone operators provides data for specific time but these specific package does not transfer in the data during renewal, which is a loss for customers,” he said adding that "The government has already taken initiative to adjust it."
The minister further said: “"We can only reduce the price of mobile phone but for reducing the internet tariff, an analysis report is needed from International Telecommunication Union (ITU), though a cost analysis report has already been reached at the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC)."
The mobile operators are transforming bandwidth to package data for internet users in mobile phone and the price of bandwidth and internet package by the mobile phone operators does not maintain balance between those.
Referring to the allegations of customers in using package during off-rate and on-rate, the minister said "The government is going to launch the much awaited mobile number portability (MNP) service within the first week of October and once the service is launched the standard of mobile service will be enhanced."
The minister said the fiber optic cable will be distributed in all unions except 772 unions of the country by December and the rest will be distributed in phases.
The government has also taken initiative to make Wi-Fi zone in government schools, colleges and madrasas across the country, he said.
Talking about the Bangabandhu Sateillite-1, the minister said the satellite is expected to start commercial operation in the end of September on completion of the handing over process by the company Thales Alenia Space.