The price of the same package of internet or bundle offered by three privet operators — Grammenphone, Banglalink, Robi & Airtel—is at least three times higher than the same package of state owned Teletalk.
The government regulatory bodies seem to have no control over the pricing of internet data packages or call charges of different private mobile operators.
Not only that the roles of the officials concerned of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) are found to be mysterious sometimes.
Meanwhile, differences in the pricing among the telecom operators’ existing internet packages are raising concerns among the users.
According to customer complaints, they have to pay different amounts of money for the same data package of different operators.
Visiting different telecom operators, it has been found that the same internet packages that are offered by mobile service operators have no similarity among them.
Different operators’ websites information show that Banglalink’s 1GB internet pack with 7-day validity costs Tk 69, while the same pack of Teletalk costs only Tk 21.
It was also found that GrameenPhone offers a 3GB internet package at Tk 98 for seven days while the same package offered by Banglalink for 30 days costs Tk 299.
Accordingly, Robi does not offer any weekly 3GB pack. However, state-owned Teletalk charges Tk 47 for a weekly 3GB pack.
Differences can be observed among the combo packs offered by various operators.
Based on information gathered from the respective operators’ online platforms, it was noted that Robi provides a combo pack of 80GB data along with 1800 minutes for 30 days at a cost of Tk 1199.
Banglalink offers a combo pack comprising 50GB of data and 1200 minutes for 30 days at Tk 998. GP’s combo pack includes 60GB of data, 1800 minutes, and 500 SMS for Tk 1199.
Meanwhile, Teletalk provides a combo pack with 50GB of data, 1000 minutes, and 200 SMS at a cost of Tk 648.
However, there is a clear differentiation in the internet packages provided by state-owned and private telecom companies in the country, as observed by users.
One user, who avails services from both a state-owned and a private telecom operator, has pointed out that the state-owned weekly 1 GB data pack not only offers better value for money but also delivers a superior user experience.
Nevertheless, there is a feeling of discontentment when utilizing data from another company on a weekly basis.
While connected, Muthophone Grahok Association of Bangladesh president Mohiuddin Ahmed told Bangladesh Post that certain intricacies were identified within internet packages, as per users’ experiences. Within the realm of the internet, discrepancies are present not only in quantity but also in the actual data volume offered. Despite a package being advertised as 1 GB, the true data content could be lower than anticipated.
However, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) commission secretary Md. Nurul Hafiz told Bangladesh Post, “All operators are asked to provide packages as per our guidelines. There is no option to violate guidelines. If any information we get regarding guideline violation, we will take appropriate measures.”
When asked about similar combo package differences among the operators, he replied, that the commission will look at the matter.
When contacted, Ankit Sureka, Head of External Communication of Grameenphone, declined to make any comment on the issue.
He, rather, advised to communicate with the AMTOB for talks.
AMTOB is a national trade body representing all mobile telecom operators in Bangladesh. While other operator remain unanswered.
While asking about such matter, AMTOB Secretary General Lt Col Mohammad Zulfikar (Retd), said, “Since the Mobile Network Operators’ (MNO) offered packages are machine-generated, there is no scope of confusion. Users may not always calculate how much data they have consumed but operators provide specific receipts of data usage, and smartphones offer similar support to monitor data usage as well.”
Giving example he has also said that for specific allegations, we would request the consumers to communicate with respective MNOs customer care or Helpdesk.
Following the change of internet packages and prices on October 15, it was also been observed that the number of internet users declined for three months in a row.
According to BTRC data, 20 thousand mobile internet users declined in September 2023, 3.60 lakh in October and 4.50 lakh in November, a total of 8.30 lakh mobile internet users have decreased in the country.
However, the trend of decreasing mobile internet users continues till January this year, as per the regulatory data.
