Bangladesh’s telecommunications sector, once celebrated as a model of balanced growth, local entrepreneurship and technological self-reliance, is now facing an existential threat. In the name of “policy reform” and “global integration”, the sector is being reshaped to serve multinational corporations rather than national interests. What is unfolding today under the direct supervision of the Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant for Telecommunications and Information Technology, Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, could very well mark the beginning of a new era of foreign dominance in a field that had long been a symbol of Bangladesh’s digital sovereignty. The telecom industry’s journey from dependence to self-reliance has been a two-decade-long story of determination and success. When the International Long Distance Telecommunication Services (ILDTS) Policy was introduced in 2008, the country’s first national telecom policy was grounded in a clear philosophy: to empower local entrepreneurs, reduce foreign currency outflow, safeguard national interests and create employment for young IT professionals.

The results were remarkable. The policy attracted thousands of small and medium local investors into the sector. Infrastructure grew rapidly, services improved and innovation flourished. Within just 10 years, government revenue from the telecom sector soared from Tk 3,600 crore to nearly Tk 50,000 crore. Local companies not only thrived but also reinvested in future technologies—fibre optics, data connectivity and digital platforms. The sector became a cornerstone of Bangladesh’s economic transformation and digital governance. Yet, all that progress is now being undermined by the very policymakers entrusted with protecting it.

The so-called “new telecom reform” being pushed by the interim administration is effectively dismantling the 2008 framework. The proposed policy removes key safeguards for local participation, allowing large foreign corporations to monopolise services that were once distributed among domestic operators. In simple terms, it seeks to restructure the entire telecom topology of Bangladesh, granting multinational corporations unprecedented control over network operations, licensing and data management. Local entrepreneurs, who form the backbone of the industry, are being systematically sidelined. Instead of ensuring a level playing field, the new policy tilts the balance towards a handful of global players, enabling profits to flow out of the country while local enterprises struggle for survival. If implemented, this policy will not only wipe out thousands of small and medium IT businesses but also create massive job losses among local engineers, technicians and software professionals. Bangladesh will become a passive consumer of imported telecom technology rather than an active innovator.

The issue is not just economic but strategic. The telecom sector sits at the heart of national security, digital sovereignty and critical infrastructure. Control over communication networks means control over data, surveillance and information flow. If multinational companies dominate the system, Bangladesh risks losing direct oversight of its digital backbone. Cyber security, financial data protection and intelligence communication will all be compromised if network gateways are controlled by foreign entities. The recent haste to allow Elon Musk’s satellite-based internet service “Starlink” to operate without a comprehensive security framework is a worrying example. The decision reflects a lack of strategic foresight and a dangerous willingness to expose national infrastructure to external oversight. The government’s defence and intelligence community, particularly officers from the Signal Corps who have decades of professional experience managing telecom networks, understand these risks deeply. Yet, even with their presence in regulatory positions, the sector has fallen prey to manipulation and external influence.

Ironically, Bangladesh no longer needs to depend on foreign companies to operate its telecom systems. Over the last two decades, it has developed a pool of world-class engineers, established data centres and built strong domestic companies capable of managing end-to-end services. However, the new policy appears designed to dismantle this hard-earned capacity. Instead of strengthening local operators through incentives, training and innovation support, the policy effectively excludes them from future contracts and licensing. This shift not only weakens Bangladesh’s industrial base but also reverses the progress made under the “Digital Bangladesh” vision. In effect, the reform is a step backward transforming a once self-reliant industry into a dependency model dominated by global telecom giants.

If the reform proceeds unchecked, the telecom sector will effectively become a foreign-controlled enclave operating within Bangladesh’s borders. Bangladesh’s experience with previous telecom reforms should serve as a warning. Every time multinational interests have gained dominance, national interests have suffered. The revenue outflow has increased, data localisation has weakened, and the space for local innovation has shrunk. The ILDTS Policy of 2008 proved that balanced participation, not unregulated liberalisation, leads to sustainable growth. The government must remember that telecom is not an ordinary business; it is a lifeline of the modern state, linking defence, finance, governance and citizen welfare.

A comprehensive, transparent and nationally focused review of the telecom licensing system is essential. The interim government should immediately halt any hasty policy changes until a full evaluation is conducted by a neutral, expert-led commission. That review should answer three critical questions: Does the proposed policy ensure Bangladesh’s digital sovereignty and data security? Does it protect the interests of local entrepreneurs and IT professionals? Does it promote sustainable, equitable growth rather than foreign dominance? Only when these questions are addressed can Bangladesh claim that its telecom sector truly serves the nation’s interests. The current policy rush reflects a deeper problem: the short-term mindset of an unelected administration eager to leave its mark before time runs out. But Bangladesh’s telecom sector is a product of collective effort by policymakers, engineers, entrepreneurs and regulators who believed in national capability. It should not be handed over to multinational control under the guise of modernisation. The post-July government must recognise that digital sovereignty is as vital as territorial sovereignty. The battle for independence today is not fought on the battlefield, but in the invisible realm of data, networks and information flow. The telecom sector is our frontline; and surrender is not an option.

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The writer is a retired Brigadier General, ex-military diplomat and author