Fixed broadband in Bangladesh was reportedly set to be completely restored on Wednesday night, but the government said that mobile internet access will remain offline until at least Sunday or Monday, which means most people will remain unconnected.
Bangladesh’s internet went dark on Thursday after student protests against a new jobs quota system turned violent. On Tuesday, fixed line broadband internet connectivity in Bangladesh was partially restored in select areas on a “trial basis”, with priorities given to the banking, commercial, technology, exports, outsourcing and media sectors.
According to the Daily Star newspaper, Md Emdadul Hoque, president of Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB), said on Wednesday at a press briefing that 40% of broadband connections across Bangladesh had been restored and most of the lines would be connected by that night.
However, Bangladesh’s mobile internet remains offline. State minister for Posts, Telecommunications and ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak said at the briefing that mobile internet wouldn’t be restored until at least Sunday or Monday.
Palak said he would meet with the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) to “analyse the situation” before service is restored, the report said.
The vast majority of Bangladesh’s internet subscribers use mobile to get online. According to figures from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), there were just over 131 million internet users in the country at the end of 2023. Of those, 118.49 million are mobile internet users, with the remainder being fixed broadband users.
As we reported on Wednesday, various sectors are counting the cost of being offline for five days, while businesses relying on mobile internet are still feeling the pain. Media reports indicate the telecoms and digital commerce sectors are losing several million US dollars per day due to the mobile internet outage, while mobile financial services have also reportedly been affected, leaving many people with no money.
