'One Country, One Rate'

 BTRC is setting the price of broadband internet across the country.

"Endless internet for 500 BDT a month"

BTRC has named this program 'One Country, One Rate'. Whether the capital is Dhaka or any other union in the country, the internet service providers have to connect at the same price. Less than the prescribed price can be taken, not more.

According to internet service providers, there will be three packages for internet users under 'One Country, One Rate'. BTRC has not officially announced the price of these packages. They will announce the price at a function on Sunday.

According to sources, the price of the first package may be a maximum of BDT 500 per month, the speed will be 5 Mbps (megabytes per second). The price of the second package can be up to BDT 600 per month, its speed will be 10 Mbps and the speed of the third package may be 20 Mbps, The price will be within BDT 1200 per month.

Internet service providers say that if this price is effective, the price of broadband internet in Dhaka will be reduced by BDT 100 to BDT 200 per month. However, internet users of districts, upazilas and unions will get more benefits.

The need for the internet has increased a lot in the country during the Corona period. Internet reliance has been created for outsourcing as well as study, home office work and entertainment.

According to BTRC sources, Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Limited (BTCL) has installed fiber optic cable connections in about 1,100 unions. On the other hand, 2,600 unions have been brought under fiber optic cable connection at the expense of the people through Info Sarkar-3 project. The number of unions in the country is 4558. The telecom minister said all the unions will come under fiber optic cable within this year.

The UK-based website CableUK, which provides up-to-date information on comparative internet prices, was seen yesterday, ranking Bangladesh 58th in the world in terms of broadband internet prices. This means that in 57 countries the price is lower than in Bangladesh. The average price of a broadband internet connection in the country is a little more than 31 dollars  per month, which is about BDT 2,600 in Bangladeshi currency. In India, the same price is below 14 dollars. 

For those who do not understand the calculation of megabytes and megabytes,

1 Megabit = (1/8) × 1 Megabytes. 1 Mbit = 0.125 MB. There are 0.125 Megabytes in a Megabit.

Source: Prothom Alo