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services for customers.

But the commission has yet to finalise the results despite carrying out several drive tests across the country.

Official documents show the regulator conducted at least three major tests in different regions. The findings, however, differed largely from the data submitted by mobile operators, leading the companies to dispute the results.

The BTRC now says it is working with operators to standardise testing methodologies and publish conclusive findings.

Telecom regulators around the world routinely conduct the “quality of service” tests to evaluate mobile operators and ensure customers receive reliable services. The tests usually assess call drops, voice quality, internet speed and network coverage.

The monitoring also helps regulators enforce service standards, encourage competition and identify areas where operators need to improve networks.

Before buying the new system, the BTRC regularly published call drop reports on its website several times a year.

Acknowledging the differences between BTRC findings and reports by the mobile operators, BTRC Chairman Major General (Retired) Md Emdad Ul Bari said, “We want to reach a consensus so that we can finalise a conclusive report.”

PERFORMANCE GAPS

The first major drive tests using the system were carried out between February 14 and June 5, 2024, across Dhaka city corporations, Narayanganj, Keraniganj and Savar.

The tests measured 40 key performance indicators.

Robi, which has 5.74 crore subscribers out of Bangladesh’s total 18.60 crore mobile users, failed in five indicators. Grameenphone, with 8.55 crore subscribers, failed in six indicators, while Banglalink failed in 14 and Teletalk failed in 26 indicators.

Teletalk, which has around 68 lakh subscribers, was the only operator that failed to meet internet service benchmarks.

In Dhaka, Banglalink crossed the regulatory limit for call drop rates. In Keraniganj and Savar, all operators struggled with call setup times and service quality, with failures recorded in both 2G and 4G voice performance indicators.

At the time, Robi and Banglalink said the results generated by the BTRC’s newly procured tools differed from those obtained through their own testing in several parameters.

The operators raised their concerns through the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB).

“We are hopeful of reaching an acceptable conclusion regarding the drive test results,” Robi said in a statement at the time.

In a statement, Grameenphone said, “The AMTOB, the BTRC and drive test vendors are working together on a unified methodology for calculating the KPIs, as significant differences have been observed between the operators’ drive test results and those of the telecom regulator.”

MEASUREMENT DISPUTE

Even after two more rounds of testing, however, the regulator and operators failed to reach a consensus.

During a drive test late last year, BTRC inspectors found major gaps between operators’ claimed 4G coverage and actual service quality in several parts of the country.

Inspection teams reported weak or non-existent 4G coverage, frequent call drops, poor indoor coverage and network outages during load-shedding in both urban and remote areas of Tangail, Bogura, Gaibandha, Habiganj, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, Cumilla, Noakhali, Chattogram, Mymensingh, Jamalpur and Sherpur.

Operators also failed several regulatory benchmarks during those inspections.

In the latest drive test, conducted on April 15 and 16 this year, Grameenphone, Robi and Banglalink each recorded a call drop rate of 2.70 percent, significantly above the regulatory threshold.

Teletalk, meanwhile, recorded zero percent call drops despite historically performing worse than its competitors in network quality assessments.

Asked about the identical call drop results, BTRC Chairman Maj Gen (Retd) Bari said the regulator is examining why the figures appeared so similar.

‘ROUTINE NETWORK FAILURES’

Interviews with dozens of users by The Daily Star late last year and recently suggest that dropped calls, weak indoor coverage and unreliable mobile internet have become routine frustrations for many customers.

In Dhaka particularly, users from different neighbourhoods said they often receive little or no usable signal inside their homes.

Md Nabid, a resident of Dhaka, said call drops happen frequently.

“On top of that, sometimes I can hear the other person’s voice, but they cannot hear me, or they can hear me while I cannot hear them. At times, both callers keep saying ‘hello, hello,’ yet neither can hear the other,” he said.

Numan Ahmed, who lives on Circular Road in Dhaka and uses both Robi and Banglalink connections, said neither network worked reliably indoors.

“At home, the network often fails,” he said.

Near Dhaka University, Sharmin Ahmed said she experiences two to three dropped calls every week.

“Most of the time, I use WhatsApp for voice calls. Even that doesn’t always work smoothly,” she said.

BTRC Chairman Maj Gen (Retd) Bari said the BTRC has already adopted a new quality of service guideline and that finalising the process is taking time because of its technical complexity.

“The effort is underway to bring clarity and standardisation between the industry and the regulator regarding measurement methodologies,” he said. “Since there are differences in opinion and the findings are not yet conclusive, we are not publishing the results right now.”

“We hope we will soon be able to upload the drive test results on our website,” he added.

AHM Shafiquzzaman, president of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), said the regulator’s failure to publish even a single final report years after launching the system shows a lack of institutional capacity.

“These systems were procured using taxpayers’ money. Therefore, why they are not being utilised properly should be investigated, and the relevant officials should be held accountable,” he said.