Mobile phone operators are consistently falling to provide promised internet speed for their data plans due to network congestion caused by an overwhelming number of subscribers against their bandwidth capacity.

The issue of mobile internet quality came to the fore after Bangladesh ranked 111th among 142 countries in mobile internet speed by US-based organisation Ookla.

The latest Ookla Speed test Global Index offered insight into Bangladesh's standing on the global stage in terms of download and upload speeds for mobile internet.

According to the October report of Ookla, the download speed for mobile internet in Bangladesh is 20.66 Mbps while the upload speed stands at 10.06 Mbps.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) leads the chart with the highest mobile internet speed, recording a download speed of 269.41 Mbps and an upload speed of 25.49 Mbps.

“When mobile operators serve more users than their bandwidth, this may lead to connectivity disruption. Besides, the number of towers is not adequate for 4G connectivity,” Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar told the Daily Sun.

He said around 90% internet users are connected to the networks of four mobile phone operators.

“To bring efficiency in network expansion, the government has allowed different tower companies to support the operators. However, their operations are facing setback despite the policy support. The tower companies can’t develop new infrastructure as so-called rights activists oppose the activities,” the minister told Daily Sun.

He said the mobile phone companies need more towers to strengthen their networks as the number of subscribers is on gradual rise.

“When the country enters 5G network, the companies will need more towers to ensure seamless connectivity,” Mustafa Jabbar added.

Meanwhile, mobile phone operators have not included the ‘data carry forward’ for any package although 91.2% responders in a BTRC survey demand such feature.

“The operators mentioned that the ‘data carry forward’ is not business-friendly,” reads a presentation of BTRC.

Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) claimed that operators have purchased large amounts of spectrum and are investing regularly to provide even better internet service.

AMTOB Secretary General Mohammad Zulfikar said that the operators still have the scope of improving the service quality if they get site for installing more towers, and fibre support from the Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network operators.

He further said the mobile industry in Bangladesh is one of the most heavily taxed sectors with a sector-specific tax regime that impacts overall data services.

“The levies include high corporate tax, minimum corporate tax, high spectrum prices, revenue sharing, social obligation fund charges, VAT on internet use. A rational tax regime is vital for providing better service,” added Zulfikar.

Currently, there are 117.7 million mobile internet users in the country, according to latest data of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).