Bangladesh Fuel Shortage Threatens Telecom

Bangladesh is facing a critical fuel shortage, primarily due to its high dependence on oil and gas imports from the Middle East, which has been exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in the region. This shortage has led to extensive queues at fuel stations and has severely impacted the operations of mobile network operators. The Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh has warned the Bangladesh — Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of an imminent large-scale telecom network shutdown if fuel supplies for data centers and backup systems do not improve. In response to the global crisis, Bangladesh's government, through Energy Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, hiked fuel prices, increasing diesel by 15% and petrol by 16%. However, these measures have not yet alleviated the supply issues, and the potential network blackout threatens to bring calls, internet, and SMS services to a standstill across the nation.