Posts and Telecommunications Division

division · verified (verified 2026-05-17)

Profile

Head: Bilquis Jahan Rimi
Role: Secretary
Annual budget: ৳21,480,000,000
Staff: —
Established: 1972
Legal basis: Rules of Business 1996 (Bangladesh); Bangladesh Telecommunication Act 2001 (amended 2010); Postal Service Ordinance 2026 (replaces Post Office Act 1898); Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Act 2001

Executing a post-election policy reset: spectrum policy consolidating around the 700 MHz band (Grameenphone allocation done; Teletalk directive issued over private-sector objections); broadband tariff unified under 'One Nation, One Rate'; Postal Service Ordinance 2026 in force replacing 1898 Act; White Paper governance reforms pending implementation. Nagad forensic audit and ACC case unresolved.

Recent activity

2026-01-05 reform PTD taskforce published White Paper on Posts and Telecommunications on ptd.gov.bd, documenting 15 years of corruption, administrative weaknesses, and structural irregularities across the sector, with governance reform recommendations. ↗↗↗
2026-01-14 regulation BTRC held Bangladesh's first-ever 700 MHz spectrum auction; Grameenphone was sole winner, acquiring 10 MHz at base price of Tk 237 crore/MHz (total Tk 2,370 crore) for a 15-year licence payable in 10 instalments. Robi Axiata withdrew before the auction. ↗↗↗
2026-02-05 reform Council of Advisers gave final approval to Postal Service Ordinance 2026, replacing the 127-year-old Post Office Act 1898; ordinance introduces digital transformation of Bangladesh Post, e-commerce compliance framework, and a modern national address management system. ↗↗
2026-02-17 appointment Faqir Mahbub Anam (BNP) sworn in as Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology under PM Tarique Rahman's cabinet, taking political charge over PTD, ICT Division, BTRC, Teletalk, and Bangladesh Post. ↗↗
2026-04-19 appointment Bilquis Jahan Rimi (17th BCS Administration) took charge as Secretary of the Posts and Telecommunications Division, transferred via gazette notification dated April 15 from the Ministry of Textiles and Jute. ↗↗
2026-04-24 policy PTD directed BTRC to allocate 10 MHz of 700 MHz spectrum to state-owned Teletalk via executive order at the auction-discovered price of Tk 237 crore/MHz, despite Teletalk carrying over Tk 5,700 crore in accumulated dues to BTRC; private operators formally objected, citing competitive distortion. ↗↗↗
2026-04-27 regulation BTRC's Systems and Services Division issued a tariff notification under the 'One Nation, One Rate' (Ek Desh Ek Rate) broadband policy, capping fixed-line ISP packages: 30 Mbps at maximum Tk 500/month, 100 Mbps at Tk 1,000/month, 250 Mbps at Tk 3,000/month. ↗↗
2026-05-01 audit Bangladesh Bank forensic audit of Nagad (digital financial service of Bangladesh Post) ongoing; earlier findings cited Tk 2,300 crore in irregularities including unauthorised e-money creation and misappropriated social safety net funds; ACC also raided Nagad headquarters claiming Tk 2,356 crore in evidence of corruption. PTD has not publicly released a separate audit but the Bangladesh Post's nominal 51% profit share arrangement with Third Wave Technologies Ltd is under review. ↗↗↗

Provenance & notes

Secretary Bilquis Jahan Rimi (17th BCS Administration batch) transferred from Ministry of Textiles and Jute via gazette notification April 15, 2026; took charge April 19, 2026. Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam (also written 'Fakir Mahbub Anam Swapan') is a BNP MP from Tangail-1 (Madhupur-Dhonbari); sworn in February 17, 2026 under PM Tarique Rahman. Annual budget figure of Tk 2,148 crore is the proposed FY2025-26 allocation for PTD as reported by BSS at budget presentation; operating vs ADP split not separately published in accessible form. Established year 1972 per Wikipedia: the division was constituted at independence as the post and telecommunications arm of the new government. PTD oversees BTRC (independent regulator), BTCL (state telecom operator), Teletalk (state mobile operator), Directorate of Posts/Bangladesh Post Office, Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company PLC, and Nagad. Nagad's ownership is contested: Bangladesh Post nominally holds 51% profit share but exercises no board or management control; Third Wave Technologies Ltd operates it commercially. The Teletalk spectrum directive is a significant market distortion: Teletalk's total dues exceed Tk 5,700 crore (Tk 5,506 crore spectrum fees + Tk 120 crore licence fees + Tk 102 crore revenue sharing + Tk 62 crore other charges), yet the April 24 directive bypassed BTRC's own rules to allocate 10 MHz at market rate. BTRC 700 MHz auction: 25 MHz offered; 10 MHz sold to Grameenphone at base price; 15 MHz unsold (5 MHz tied up in AONB litigation, 10 MHz now allocated to Teletalk). Postal Service Ordinance 2026 replaces Post Office Act 1898 -- a landmark reform; implementation status as of May 2026 is pending gazette promulgation. Verification based on 2+ primary sources for all material claims.

Posts and Telecommunications Division

Profile

Recent activity

Sources