Number of internet users at all-time high: BTRC
The number of internet users in the country soared by six lakh in April to stand at to reach 9.37 crore, which is an all-time highest, according to the latest statistics of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).
Mobile phone-based connection contributed the highest to the tally with 8.79 crore users, followed by WiMAX with 60,000 users.
ISP and PSTN connections accounted for 57.32 lakh users, showed the statistics.
Industry insiders said the trend of internet penetration fell drastically near the end of last year, but the situation saw a U-turn in the first month of this year, and has continued upward growth.
They had attributed the decline to the introduction of mobile number portability (MNP) initially, which was launched in last October, as mobile phone users who had been holding multiple SIMs made up their minds on the number of connections.
Moreover, BTRC -- the telecom regulator -- had imposed restrictions on mobile phone operators regarding the numbers and durations of internet packages, which also contributed partially to the sluggish internet growth, they said.
The number of internet users declined to 9.18 crore and 9.13 crore respectively in November and December last year.
In the first three months of this year, the total number of internet users rose from 9.14 crores to 9.31 crore, largely boosted by increasing mobile internet users.
In April, most of the users connected with the internet were mobile phone-based along with 57 lakh ISP and PSTN users.
Meanwhile, number of WiMAX users continued its declining trend, dropping by a thousand from previous month’s 61,000.
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