FROM PAGE B1

That surge helped many small and medium ISPs grow into large-scale operators, creating employment for engineers, technicians and support staff.

Aminul Hakim, president of the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB), said at least seven or eight companies now directly employ more than 1,000 people each.

“If you include their partner companies, more than two dozen companies now have over 1,000 employees each,” he said.

According to industry estimates, the sector now supports around 6 lakh to 7 lakh jobs, including graduate engineers, technicians, customer support staff and field workers.

Hakim said the number of authorised ISP connections stands at around 48 lakh, though the actual broadband footprint is considerably larger owing to unauthorised operators.

Industry stakeholders estimate Bangladesh has nearly 90 lakh broadband connections serving more than 3 crore users, consuming around 60 percent of the country’s nearly 10 Tbps international internet bandwidth and generating annual revenues of Tk 7,000 crore-Tk 8,000 crore.

THE RESELLER PROPOSAL

According to BTRC officials, between 7,000 and 8,000 unlicensed ISP operators are currently active across Bangladesh, leaving much of the sector unregulated and depriving the state of significant tax revenue.

To streamline the sector and attract investment, the BTRC and the telecoms division have agreed in principle to introduce a reseller model.

Under the proposed framework, unlicensed operators could register with the BTRC and operate legally without holding a full ISP licence.

Maj Gen (Retd) Md Emdad Ul Bari, chairman of the BTRC, said that resellers would not own licences, they would simply sell services provided by licensed ISPs.

However, several industry leaders are unconvinced.

ISPAB President Hakim said legalising resellers could allow politically connected illegal operators to rapidly capture local markets, undermining compliant ISPs.

He said the model could also reduce service quality in remote areas, create pricing irregularities and expose customers to exploitation. Small and medium entrepreneurs who had invested heavily over the years might struggle to survive against locally influential groups.

“I believe introducing a reseller model at this stage could create long-term instability in the broadband sector,” he said.

He added that unclear accountability between ISPs and resellers could complicate maintenance, technical support and cybersecurity management. Without strong regulation, the model risks producing unhealthy competition, fragmented infrastructure and reduced network reliability.

However, a senior BTRC official said many of the unregulated small ISPs, including politically connected ones, are already purchasing bandwidth and riding on the infrastructure of larger ISPs.

“In reality, they already exist in the ecosystem. Bringing them under at least a minimum regulatory structure would improve oversight and accountability,” the official said, preferring anonymity.