The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Thursday expressed concern over the draft Telecommunication Network and Licensing Regime Reform Policy 2025, saying that the proposed policy could disproportionately benefit the large telecommunication companies while hurting the small and medium enterprises.
At an emergency press conference held at the BNP chairperson鈥檚 office at Gulshan in the capital Dhaka, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir criticised the draft policy, saying it lacked inclusivity and risked increasing market monopolisation.
He said that the draft policy clearly maintained structural advantages for major telecommunication operators, which would strengthen dominance rather than foster competition.
He warned that this could pose serious challenges to the SMEs and independent internet service providers, particularly in terms of regulatory uncertainty and financial sustainability.
鈥楾he initiative, while commendable in intention, is being pushed forward without proper consultation. This is a matter of national importance and should not be decided in hast,鈥� Fakhrul said.
He said that a thorough economic and social impact assessment had to be conducted, and that all relevant stakeholders, including the SMEs, industry experts and consumer rights groups, should be consulted before the policy was finalised.
Fakhrul pointed to several issues in the draft, including the removal of restrictions on cross-ownership across telecommunication services, which he claimed would allow large mobile operators to establish monopolies in multiple sectors.
He warned that the deregulation framework, if implemented without clear safeguards, could force smaller firms into financial distress.
鈥楾here is ambiguity surrounding foreign ownership limits and enterprise service boundaries, which could both deter investment and destabilise the sector,鈥� Fakhrul said.
He also raised concern over spectrum dependency under the proposed application and network service provider licensing framework, saying it would further advantage larger players with greater resources.
The BNP called on the government to approach the telecommunication reform with caution, transparency and participatory engagement, particularly at that time with a national election approaching.
BNP standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan said that the goal of any modern technology policy should be to ensure benefits reach the public 鈥� not just major corporations.
鈥榃e support technological advancement and digital expansion, but if the benefits of AI, broadband and digital services do not reach rural populations, the country鈥檚 digital transformation will be incomplete and unjust,鈥� he said.