Bangladesh Opens Doors to MVNOs in New Telecom Reform

The regulatory landscape of Bangladesh’s telecommunications sector is undergoing a major transformation with the adoption of the new Telecommunications Network and Licensing Policy 2025.

Gazetted on September 22, the framework’s most immediately impactful element is the formal recognition of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO), a strategic move paired with strict new standards for quality and competition.

The landmark decision to formally recognize MVNOs signals a new era for Bangladesh’s mobile services market.

This move is explicitly designed to intensify market competition, attract new investments, and spur the introduction of tailored and innovative offerings for varied consumer segments, including students, rural communities, and the expatriate population.

Globally, MVNOs have proven successful in serving niche markets and expanding consumer choice.

The policy empowers the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to formulate fresh guidelines for MVNO licensing and operations.

Critically, the policy outlines a proportionate regulatory framework, allowing for both full-scale and light-touch licensing depending on the operator’s market scope and service model.

This flexibility is key to maximizing the influx of new players and their diverse business models.

The success of new MVNO entrants in Bangladesh relies on a fair and robust market. The new policy addresses this by setting strict operational benchmarks and strengthening the BTRC’s regulatory authority:

1. Focus on Quality of Service

To ensure that market growth does not compromise user experience, the policy sets mandatory service standards for all operators:

• Fiber Connectivity: Mobile operators must connect 50 percent of their towers to fiber within 18 months and 80 percent within three years.
• Transparency: To track and publicize performance, BTRC will launch a National Quality of Service Dashboard with anonymized, near real-time data on coverage, speed, and reliability.

2. Enhancing Fair Market Competition

The policy empowers BTRC to proactively prevent market distortion and dominance abuse, creating a level playing field for MVNOs and established operators alike:

• Significant Market Power (SMP): BTCL is authorized to identify firms with Significant Market Power (SMP).
• Remedies for Dominance: Where SMP is abused or distorts competition, BTRC can impose remedies such as tariff controls, mandatory infrastructure sharing, or bans on cross-subsidies.

3. Prioritizing Emerging Technologies

The policy ensures the entire sector remains future-proof, facilitating the adoption of services that MVNOs could eventually leverage:

• Future-Proofing: The framework places a strong focus on emerging services, including 5G and 6G networks, the Internet of Things (IoT), private networks, blockchain, mission-critical communications, and quantum computing facilities.
• Flexible Regulation: The BTRC is mandated to adopt a flexible and proportionate regulatory approach for these innovative services, encouraging their development.

In a press release, the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology confirmed that the BTRC has already begun preparing fresh guidelines for the new policy.

The regulator plans to consult with operators and stakeholders, followed by a public consultation, before the final guidelines are approved.

By simultaneously welcoming MVNOs and enforcing strict standards for quality and competition, the comprehensive new policy is poised to be a major catalyst, streamlining operations, encouraging investment, and ultimately expanding consumer choice in the rapidly evolving digital landscape of Bangladesh.