The block on five popular Internet calling and messaging services, including Viber and Tango, has been lifted early Thursday.
Officials of several leading mobile phone operators told the Dhaka Tribune that the services got operational after several hours of suspension as they did not receive any further notice from the authorities over the matter.
Earlier on January 18, the government blocked popular Internet calling and messaging services Viber and Tango on security grounds.
At the same time, the government also kept third generation (3G) mobile data services suspended for 11 hours out of the same concern, sources from several mobile operators said.
Later, three more online voice and messaging services – WhatsApp, mypeople and Line –have also been blocked on January 19.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Secretary Md Sarowar Alam told the Dhaka Tribune: “The commission made the decision upon requests from the law enforcement and intelligence agencies.”
He also confirmed that it was a short-term decision and therefore will not be continued for a long time.
Sources said the BTRC has recently got a letter from a high profile intelligence agency which warned that militants are using different modern services with the help of 3G.
“Terrorist groups, militants and anti-state elements are carrying out terror and subversive activities using the facilities of communication devices such as mobile phones and Internet technologies such as Viber, Skype, Tango and WhatsApp,” the letter reads.
"All the five voice and messaging services will remain blocked till January 21 midnight."
Copies of the letter, sent to the BTRC in the last week of December, were sent to the state ministers for home and ICT asking them to take necessary actions.
The BTRC however denied receiving any such letter.
Political sources claimed that the move could be a measure to check street violence during the ongoing non-stop countrywide blockade enforced by the BNP-led 20-party combine.
The government kept popular video-sharing website YouTube blocked from September 2012 to June 2013 following the emergence of an anti-Islam clip on the cyber surface.
In 2013, the government tried to put in place a monitoring system for popular social media platforms Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter and Linkedin but failed.
