The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has ordered a shutdown of mobile networks along the borders with India citing security reasons, an order estimated to affect around 10 million users.
The operators already suspended networks within one kilometre of the borders with India on Monday after receiving an order on Sunday night, reports bdnews24.com.
The four operators closed around 2,000 base transceiver stations, an official of an operator said requesting anonymity.
“This will create problems for around 10 million users in the border areas,” the official said.
In the order to Grameenphone, Teletalk, Robi and Banglalink, the BTRC said network coverage in the border areas will have to be suspended until further notice “for the sake of the country’s security in the current circumstances”.
“A high-level meeting of the government took this decision, following which the instructions were issued,” BTRC Chairman Jahurul Haque told bdnews24.com, declining to give further explanations.
The instructions were “temporary”, he added.
