Abrar Hussain of DOT
Mobile internet may be downgraded on election day as well as the day before and after it, said officials at a meeting at the Election Commission on Monday.
The EC requested Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to make preparations to downgrade 4G and 3G networks to 2G in those three days, The Daily Star quoted their sources as saying.
Last week EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed confirmed to journalists that they would ‘seriously consider’ entirely or partly blocking mobile internet services or throttle internet speed on December 30.
On Monday’s meeting, the EC asked the telecom regulator to prepare to block social media sites, especially Facebook, as well as some other communication applications.
The BTRC reportedly took preparations and already formed a team ready to take action if any ‘unlawful activity’ using online platforms is found, its officials claimed.
Previously, the BTRC had throttled internet speed for 24 hours following a recommendation by law enforcers during the road safety protests in August.
However, the BTRC mentioned nothing about controlling the broadband service at the meeting. Meanwhile, the telecom regulator also asked representatives of all the international internet gateways to attend a meeting today at the BTRC office where they will be given instructions as per the EC’s requirements.
According to official statistics as of October 2018, the total number of active mobile internet users stands at 8.67 crore.