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Published : 20 Apr 2026, 10:33 AM
Mobile operators have warned that nationwide electricity and fuel shortages have put uninterrupted telecom services at risk across Bangladesh.
The Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) has formally communicated the gravity of the situation to the regulator, noting that without immediate government intervention and priority energy allocations, the country's mobile networks face an imminent risk of total shutdown.
In a letter to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission chairman on Saturday, the organisation detailed the massive fuel requirements of the three private operators --Grameenphone, Robi, and Banglalink -- to keep their Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) and data centres operational.
The industry requires nearly 79,621 litres of diesel and 19,859 litres of octane daily to combat frequent power outages.
AMTOB pointed out that fuel transport vehicles are encountering obstacles from law-enforcing agencies in different regions, complicating the logistics of keeping the network running.
The correspondence, signed by AMTOB Secretary General Md Zulfikar, includes an exhaustive list of 27 critical data centres across the country.
According to the data, Robi’s 10 centres consume 1,622 litres of diesel per hour during outages, while Grameenphone’s eight facilities require 1,864 litres.
Banglalink’s eight centres use 985 litres hourly.
Combined, these hubs alone use up 4,471 litres of diesel for every hour the national grid fails.
AMTOB noted that the crisis has moved beyond a mere inconvenience, becoming a systemic threat that cannot be resolved without top-level state intervention.
It said recent storms and rainfall have worsened the situation, leading to frequent and prolonged outages in many regions.
The letter said load-shedding has sharply increased the use of diesel and octane, as grid power has remained unavailable for extended periods in recent days, forcing heavy reliance on generators.
A single data centre can burn through 500 to 600 litres of diesel per hour, often exceeding 4,000 litres a day -- a volume that local filling stations are increasingly unable to provide.
Operators’ Proposals
In response to the crisis, mobile operators proposed several measures, including:
• An emergency high-level coordination meeting involving the power division, energy ministry, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, law-enforcing agencies and mobile operators.
• Ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply to key data centres and critical facilities.
• Prioritising power supply to all mobile base stations during shortages.
• Direct fuel supply arrangements from depots during emergencies.
• Written instructions to law-enforcing agencies to ensure unhindered fuel transport for telecom operations.
Grameenphone Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Tanveer Mohammad addressed the issue on Sunday, acknowledging the severe challenges posed by the global energy crunch.
He called for timely and specific government action to safeguard nationwide services.
Tanveer specifically requested that the authorities facilitate fuel procurement and provide priority status for telecom infrastructure to ensure that the nation remains connected during these turbulent times.
