The government has assured that it will soon set mobile data prices amid dissatisfaction among both customers and operators over the increase in price of the cheapest available internet packages following the announcement of the new mobile data policy.
According to the latest BTRC policy, three-day and 15-day data packages for internet customers will be discontinued starting from October 15. About 70% of customers were using the three-day package.
Sources from mobile operators revealed that Grameenphone's previous price for 1 GB of data for three days was Tk 46, but it has now been revised to Tk 69 for the new seven-day period. The mobile operator Banglalink has also raised its prices at a similar rate.
In response to customer allegations, an official from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) assured Dhaka Tribune that they would soon address the issue by fixing data prices.
Mobile operators said that they haven't increased data prices but simply adjusted them based on the extended validity and data volume. Referring to BTRC's price control plans, mobile phone operators argued that the telecom market is not failing, unlike the consumer goods market, which requires regulation.
Addressing the data price increase issue, Shahed Alam, the head of regulatory affairs at Robi Axiata, told Dhaka Tribune, "Data prices depend on the operator's cost and marketing policy, and there's no need for price regulation by the regulatory body."
However, the top operator official emphasized that they have always been clear about their stance on data pricing and customer flexibility.
Requesting anonymity, an operator's official mentioned that their package prices have increased by 40% to 50%. The operators hope that the government and BTRC will reconsider this new package regulation, taking customer flexibility into account.
In response to these issues, Post and Telecommunication Minister Mustafa Jabbar said the BTRC is actively working on resolving the data price concerns, with plans to publish a solution soon.
On September 3, BTRC finalized new guidelines for mobile data packages. These guidelines exclude three and 15-day packages, set a maximum of 40 packages, and mandate mobile operators to implement these changes starting October 15.
Last year, through a directive, BTRC had limited mobile operators to a maximum of 95 data packages across 3-day, 7-day, 15-day, 30-day, and unlimited periods.
Mobile operators at the time said discontinuing the popular three-day package may affect low-income individuals, including students.
BTRC, however, argues that not all the data in the three-day package was fully utilized, and extending the period would benefit customers.
According to a recent BTRC survey, 44.5% of the 1,600 data users participating in the survey favoured maintaining the existing five-term plan. In contrast, 52.9% of customers expressed a preference for seven-day and 30-day unlimited term packages.
BTRC decided to cancel the three-day and 15-day data packages based on the results of this survey.
The Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) Secretary General Lt Col Mohammad Zulfikar (retd) highlighted the fact that customers are now compelled to opt for the seven-day package at an additional cost, when they were accustomed to the more affordable three-day packages. Operators' leaders expressed concerns that the number of internet customers may decline due to financial constraits.
Nevertheless, they remain hopeful that BTRC will revisit and reassess the impact of the new data package policy following a review of customer feedback.
