BTRC sets minimum 4G speed at 10 Mbps: Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has officially set the minimum download speed for 4G services at 10 Mbps as part of a revised Quality of Service (QoS) benchmark aimed at improving telecom service standards across the country.

Chief Adviser's Special Assistant on Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb announced the new standard in a Facebook post on Sunday (August 31).

"The new QoS policy was approved in a BTRC meeting last week and will come into effect from September 1," he confirmed.

Key Highlights of the New QoS Policy
Under the newly revised Quality of Service (QoS) guidelines, the minimum 4G download speed has been set at 10 Mbps, with an upload speed of 2 Mbps. The call setup success rate must reach at least 99% at the national network level and 98% at the district or upazila levels. The call drop rate is capped at 1% for 2G networks and 1.5% at the upazila level. For 4G data services, the connection success rate must be 99% nationally and 98.5% at the district level. Voice service performance in drive tests must achieve at least a 98% call setup success rate with a call drop rate of less than 2%. The Voice over LTE (VoLTE) quality index must be at least 3.5, while the average user download speed is required to be a minimum of 3.5 Mbps at the network level and 2.5 Mbps at the district level.

The revised QoS framework, aligned with international standards, aims to increase accountability among mobile network operators, ISPs, and NTTN service providers. It introduces monthly performance reporting requirements and stricter enforcement of service benchmarks.

Monthly Performance Monitoring
From September, all telecom operators must submit monthly reports on key performance indicators (KPIs) across three main categories:

1. Accessibility: Measures network access and call setup success rates, including VoLTE and paging performance. Any cell with below 90% or 70% success rates must be flagged.

2. Retainability: Evaluates call and data session stability through metrics such as call drop rates, LTE non-retainability, SRVCC success rate, and handover success rate.

3. Network Integrity: Assesses network resource efficiency, uplink throughput, and quality indicators (CQI/RSRQ).

Fixed Internet and NTTN Standards
The new policy also outlines strict benchmarks for fixed broadband and telephony services. Fixed-line call setup success rates must exceed 99%, with call drop rates kept below 1% and connection times limited to a maximum of 6 seconds. For internet services, local latency must not exceed 25 milliseconds, and the data loss rate must remain under 1%. Additionally, service providers are required to maintain at least 99% network availability and ensure that customers receive a minimum of 95% of their subscribed internet speed.

For NTTN operators, the benchmarks include
For NTTN (Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network) operators, the revised guidelines mandate that data loss must not exceed 0.01%, with network latency kept within 5 milliseconds and jitter within 3 milliseconds. Additionally, any fiber optic faults must be resolved within 4 hours in urban areas and within 6 hours in rural regions to ensure minimal service disruption.

Enhanced Customer Service Requirements
The new guidelines also introduce stringent customer service standards. All non-network-related complaints must be fully resolved within 28 days. Additionally, call centers are required to answer at least 90% of incoming calls within 40 seconds, and ensure that 100% of calls are answered within 90 seconds, aiming to enhance responsiveness and customer satisfaction.

Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb emphasized that the updated QoS benchmarks aim to hold service providers accountable and push for long-overdue improvements in telecom infrastructure.

He noted that investment in 4G services has been insufficient, contributing to subpar service quality, and these reforms are designed to change that.

The formal directive is expected to be published soon by the BTRC.