Special measures taken to ensure uninterrupted network, internet during election

Amid the heavy travel rush centring the 13th National Parliamentary Election and Referendum on Thursday (12 February), complaints have emerged from different parts of the country about disruptions in mobile calls and frequent call drops.

This has raised concerns about whether mobile network and internet services will remain stable at polling centres on election day.

However, the government and mobile operators have assured the public that all necessary preparations have been completed to ensure uninterrupted services.

Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb, special assistant to the chief adviser on telecommunications and information technology, told the media that strict instructions have been issued to operators to ensure the highest quality mobile network coverage at every polling station.

A 24-hour “special support team” will remain on standby to quickly resolve any technical faults, he said.

He added that no form of network disruption or “jammer” would be used during this election.

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Members of the police and Ansar forces will use modern technology for the exchange of election-related information, and efforts are being made to keep network capacity at its highest level, Faiz further said.

Leading mobile operators in the country have also outlined their preparations. Sharafuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, head of communications at Grameenphone, said a special emergency team has been formed to maintain normal network services.

Sahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer of Robi, said that round-the-clock monitoring is in place in important areas, along with backup power and technical teams on standby.

Taimur Rahman, chief corporate affairs officer of Banglalink, confirmed that network optimisation has been completed in coordination with the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and the Election Commission.

Voters also need not worry about broadband internet services, according to the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB).

ISPAB President Aminul Hakim said additional personnel have been deployed during the election period to ensure that internet speeds do not slow down and connections are not disrupted anywhere.

In line with BTRC directives, broadband providers will remain on special alert over the next two days.