Bangladesh faces telecom shutdowns from Mideast fuel crisis

InternationalBangladesh faces telecom shutdowns from Mideast fuel crisisBy AFP -Apr 20, 2026DHAKA: Bangladesh faces a widespread shutdown of mobile phones without rapid improvements in fuel shortages sparked by the Middle East war, operators said Monday. The South Asian nation of 170 million people imports 95 percent of its oil and gas, mostly from the Middle East, and shortages have hit hard, with queues at filling stations lasting for as long as 12 hours. The Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) said Monday that continued telecom operations can no longer be sustained without the fuel needed to power operations including data centres. “The situation has escalated beyond the operational control,” AMTOB wrote in a letter to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). “If these conditions persist, there is an imminent risk of large-scale telecom network shutdowns across significant parts of the country.” It said the impact had already begun. “Mobile network operators (MNOs) are experiencing severe operational distress due to the prolonged unavailability of commercial power and the lack of assured fuel supply for backup systems,” it said. It said data centres consume approximately 500–600 litres (132-158 gallons) of diesel per hour, amounting to nearly 4,000 litres per day per facility, which the local fuel stations are unable to provide. “Multiple strategically vital telecom facilities are currently running on dangerously low fuel reserves,” the association said. ‘Network blackout’ AMTOB secretary general Mohammad Zulfikar said shutdowns of data centres would create ripple effects across the wider network. “A partial or complete network blackout could bring calls, internet, SMS (text messages) and all other services to a standstill or cause severe disruption,” he told AFP. “The internet may become painfully slow or go down entirely, as data centres are the command hubs where traffic is routed and controlled.” The government...