Bangladesh has restricted mobile internet to 1.1 million Rohingya refugees living in camps in Cox’s Bazar, relaxing a previous ban on mobile phone services.
Earlier on Sunday, the government ordered the local operators to stop selling SIM cards and shut down all mobile phone services to Rohingyas.
The country, however, pulled back the decision Tuesday (Sept 1) and ordered the operators to shut off faster 3G and 4G services for the night in Teknaf and Ukhiya Upazilas.
“Mobile network will be downgraded to 2G from 5am to 6am daily in Rohingya camps area,” Telecommunication Minister Mustafa Jabbar told Bangla Tribune on Tuesday.
People living in the area would only able to make voice calls during this period, Jabbar said.
Mobile operators have been instructed to follow the restriction till further notice, said the spokesman for the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), Zakir Hossain Khan.
PANEL TO FIND OUT ROHINYAS SIM OWNERS
Meanwhile, a panel was formed to facilitate the order issued on Monday.
As per the existing law, maximum 15 SIM cards can be bought against a single national ID.
Jabbar said, “The panel will trace the owners of the SIM being used by the Rohingyas.”
The panel has been asked to report by Sept 9 and SIM connections would be cut off in line with its report, he added.