Dhaka: In a bid to commemorate July Uprising Day and protest last year's internet shutdown on July 18, all mobile subscribers in the country are being offered 1 GB of free internet data for five days starting today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) had earlier proposed to mobile phone operators to offer 1 GB of free internet data to their customers on July 18. Mobile operators have positively responded to this initiative, and all subscribers will receive 1 GB of free data for a consecutive period of five days.
As directed by BTRC, mobile operators have informed their customers about the free data offer in advance through SMS notifications, as stated in a press release issued by the Chief Adviser's Press Wing. Subscribers can avail of this offer by dialing specific codes provided by their respective mobile operators from today onwards.
The internet shutdown last year on the night of July 17 occurred during the anti-discrimination student movement, which was advocating for reforms in the quota system for government jobs. Following the shutdown of mobile internet, broadband services were also halted the next day, leaving the country without internet access. The current initiative aims to remember the first anniversary of this mass uprising by providing free internet data to mobile users.