Bangladesh grid failure disrupts telecommunication services

Mobile phone users in different parts of the country are facing difficulties in receiving calls, SMS and internet services

Telecommunication services in different parts of the country, including Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and Mymensingh divisions, have been affected by power outages triggered by a national grid failure.

On Tuesday, mobile phone users across the country said they were facing difficulties in receiving calls, SMS and internet access.

Tanu Sen, a resident of Dhaka’s Green Road, said she was not getting any network coverage on her mobile phone.

"Calls are not going through. Some calls are dropping as well. There is no internet connection at home, so I wanted to use my mobile internet data, but that's not available either.”

Arafat Hossain, a resident of Mirsarai in Chattogram, said he has been having trouble communicating on his mobile phone since power went out.

"I'm calling others, but I can't hear anything. I can't even send an SMS. This is very distressing.”

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said customers must wait until the problem with power grid is resolved to receive uninterrupted services.

Subrata Roy Maitra, vice-chairman of BTRC, said, “We have heard that mobile operators are facing some problems. This is due to the power outage. Their backup [power sources] are insufficient. So, we have to wait until the power supply is restored to overcome this issue.”

Expressing regret over the hardships faced by customers, the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh said telecommunication services may be temporarily disrupted in parts of the country.