No operator providing true 4G speed outside Dhaka, BTRC tests find

The mobile telecom operators of Bangladesh are advertising 24/7 their 4G data services, but the promised speed in places outside Dhaka is limited to their ads.

None of the operators is delivering the speed touted 4G speed outside Dhaka, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission or BTRC tests in four regions of the country found.

The regulator recently published the results of the tests conducted in 18 districts of Barishal, Rangpur, Rajshahi and Khulna divisions.

Operators Grameenphone, Robi, and Banglalink rolled out the fourth generation mobile telephony services in January last year.

The BTRC at the time set 7 megabit per second (Mbps) as the lowest speed for 4G.

But the highest 4G speed outside Dhaka was found in Rangpur – 6.88Mbps provided by Grameenphone.

Things were worst in Barishal where Banglalink is providing 4G services at a speed of 3.56Mbps.

4G speed outside Dhaka (Mbps)

Operator	Barishal	Rangpur	Rajshahi	Khulna
GP	5.1	6.88	6.69	4.63
Robi	4.89	6.51	6.75	5.39
Banglalink	3.56	4.68	5.1	4.96

Download speed in Singapore, the Netherlands, Norway, and South Korea is over 40Mbps, according to Opensignal, which provides mobile analytics and insights on wireless connectivity.

Among Bangladesh’s neighbours, Sri Lanka provides 4G services at 13.95Mbps, Pakistan 13.56Mbps, Myanmar 15.56Mbps, and India 6Mbps.

According to the BTRC, the number of internet users in Bangladesh is 92 million.

Some 86.2 million of them surf the web on mobile phone.

The operators had told the BTRC before the tests that speed of no technology in wireless services can be guaranteed and the 4G speed set by the regulator was not realistic considering the price of spectrum and the operators’ income, Banglalink Chief Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Officer Taimur Rahman told bdnews24.com.

“That’s why the operators could not achieve the fixed levels in the surveyed places,” he said.

The quality of 4G services also depend on Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network or NTTN, Interconnection Exchange or ICX, and International Gateway or IGW operators, he said.

Banglalink is committed to provide its customers with quality services, Taimur said.

The company bought maximum spectrum last year to strengthen its network which helped it provide faster 3G speed than the other operators do, he claimed.

BTRC will act as per the related guidelines on the quality of 4G services provided by the operators, Post, Telecom and IT Minister Mustafa Jabbar told bdnews24.com when contacted for comments on the tests.

BTRC Chairman Jahurul Haque said they were still reviewing the scopes for action against the operators.