Dhaka: Bangladesh's recent business-friendly policy reforms are strengthening its appeal as a foreign investment destination, with further regulatory changes expected to accelerate foreign direct investment (FDI) once investor confidence gathers pace, Robi's Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer Shahed Alam stated here today. He highlighted Bangladesh as a favorable destination for investment, citing significant business opportunities and ongoing government policy reforms aimed at making the business environment more investor-friendly during a media briefing.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, mobile phone operator Robi, whose majority shareholder is Axiata Group Berhad from Malaysia, organized the briefing titled "Five Years in the Stock Market: Governance Excellence Driving Performance" to mark its five years in the Dhaka Stock Exchange. Shahed Alam noted that Robi had communicated to the Prime Minister and the government the need for several additional policy changes in the near term. If these reforms are implemented, Bangladesh could witness a faster inflow of foreign direct investment, he suggested.
Shahed Alam emphasized that building investor confidence takes time, and once investors have greater confidence in the market, the country would be in a stronger position to attract more overseas investment. He pointed out that the experiences of foreign companies already operating in Bangladesh are closely monitored by prospective investors, as the challenges they face often shape perceptions of the country's investment climate.
He mentioned that the business environment is improving gradually, with several obstacles identified in doing business being addressed and approval processes becoming much faster than before. While expressing optimism over stronger FDI inflows, he noted that foreign investment decisions are typically made over a longer period, and as a result, the impact of recent policy changes may not be immediately visible.
Responding to a query on a World Bank report about internet speeds, Shahed Alam explained that network performance should not be attributed to any single operator or specific infrastructure component. He argued that overall internet quality depends on a combination of policy, fibre connectivity, site density, devices, and spectrum availability. He pointed out that Bangladesh has lagged partly due to past policy barriers and insufficient backhaul fibre infrastructure, describing fibre as crucial for delivering high-speed internet services.
Shahed Alam stated that Robi is collaborating with the government and the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to strengthen the country's fibre network. He noted that the government's Fibre Bank initiative and the issuance of additional licences to expand fibre infrastructure are expected to improve network capacity. With further development of the fibre network, internet performance would continue to improve, he said, mentioning that average speeds have increased to around 14 Mbps from about 4 Mbps previously.
In Dhaka, Chattogram, and other major cities, users are experiencing speeds exceeding 20 Mbps in many areas, while 5G services are available in parts of the capital for customers with compatible handsets. Shahed Alam highlighted that handset capability also plays an important role in determining internet speed and international rankings, which also consider fibre density and spectrum holdings. Bangladesh has increased its spectrum holdings nearly four times over the past five years, he informed, adding that operators continue to require additional spectrum.
Shahed Alam conveyed the industry's expectation for the government to allocate 900 MHz spectrum in the near future and 3.5 GHz spectrum next year or the following year. He stated that greater spectrum availability would further improve the country's internet performance and global ranking.