BTRC cuts the Internet charges upto 33%.

Thu, Jul 16th, 2009 10:06 pm BdST
[Source: BDNEWS24.COM; Link: http://www.bdnews24.com/bangla/details.php?cid=8&id=54055&hb=2]

Dhaka, July 16, (BDNEWS24.COM)
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has decided to decrease the bandwidth fee and backhaul fee of Submarine cable.
So, the internet bandwidth charges will be less upto 33 percent.
Last Thursday BTRC informs this in a press release.

Also they inform that, it has been decided that monthly per megabits per seconds internet bandwidth charge will be BDT 18000 only instead of previous BDT 27000.
Also Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company has decreased its wet segment bandwidth upto 10 percent. For Internet access, Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) also reduces their internal backhaul service charge.

BTRC informs, to reach the telecommunication service specially the internet
service towards the remote region of the country BTRC took this decision after
discussing with ministry, goverment & non-government Internet Service
Providers (ISP).

BTRC Chairman Retd. Brigadier General Zia Ahmed says, "during the period of submarine cable connected to our country the price of the bandwidth was too high. Now after reducing the price upto BDT 18000, operators can utilize more bandwidth and provide the service to their subscribers in cheap rate."
Also he hopes that it will increase the internet users in the country.
BTRC also informs, after reviewing the effect of current price on the internet packages of the ISPs and mobile operators due to this price reduction, they will give their next instructions.

Mr. Monowar Hossain, the Managing Director of Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited says, "ISP Operators should take initiative so that the people can enjoy the benefit due to this price reduction."

Bangladesh is connected with SEA-ME-WE-4 Submarine Cable Consortium. The allocated bandwidth for Bangladesh is 24 Gigabits/second. But currently only 8 Gigabits/second is used. Complaining for the high price of bandwidth, most of the ISPs and others are not interested to purchase more bandwidth which is the main reason that the subscribers are getting slow internet service.