Will customers get back unused internet?

Without knowing the mobile data had already gone off the previous night, a private job holder Muktadir Alam for an emergency communication purchased a one-week package of internet on July 18 morning from the telco he is a customer of for the last 18 years.

"After a while I understood mobile internet is not working and it didn't work anymore. It's now a week and the package will be over by midnight yesterday [Wednesday]. I'm not sure whether I'll be able to use a single kilobyte of the internet I had bought," he told TBS.

Like Muktadir many internet users have similar queries: What's the fate of the money they had put in for internet? Will they get the unused data back? Will the telcos allow them to use the leftover or unused data? Or, will it be a waste of money?

"For an individual every penny counts," said Arifa Begum, a mid-level official at a non-government development organisation.

And the total amount spent by people for mobile internet is not little.

Last year's revenue of mobile phone operators shows that people in the country on an average use mobile data worth about Tk29 crore a day.

"So, the money from people's pockets will go like bubbles," said Arifa.

Muktadir has another point, too.

"Look, I had purchased the mobile data when it was already off. The company knew about the blackout. So, why didn't they keep suspended selling data at that time? Since they sold it, they should give the data without purchasing any new package," he said.

Usually, unused data is added if a new package is purchased before the expiry of the current package.

Mobile operators are giving a ray of hope.

"Mobile internet is still not on. As a result, it is difficult to predict anything in the current scenario. However, being a customer centric company, we always prioritise customers' interest in the best possible manner," said a senior executive at Robi.

A senior official at Grameenphone also indicated that a "positive" decision will be taken at the best possible interest of the customers.

"You know the situation. Our senior management team members are not in a position to be together physically, or even virtually due to internet disruption. A decision will be taken by them shortly," he told TBS.

An executive of Banglalink said they are yet to make a decision. But he also hinted that they will "obviously" prioritise customers' interest.

However, the main question now is when the mobile operators will be able to resume internet service as limited broadband internet returned on Tuesday night after a blackout for five days since 18 July.

On the other hand, the mobile internet remained off since 17 July night following the violence centring the quota reform movement across the country.

According to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), the country has over 13.5 crore internet users. Of them, over 12 crore are mobile internet users and 1.23 crore broadband.

The broadband customers pay on monthly basis while mobile data users purchase packages of various durations from their operators.

The private telecom companies – GP, Robi and Banglalink – had a total revenue of Tk31,963 crore in 2023. A 32.4% or Tk10,345 crore came from mobile internet users.

If Teletalk is included, the revenue from mobile data sales was Tk10,508 crore in 2023, which means per day earning of the companies from internet is Tk28.79 crore.

The total revenue of all the mobile companies together was Tk32,465 crore last year.