What is currently happening in Bangladesh? If your mobile service is suddenly less reliable than before, this is not a figment of your imagination. A fuel supply crisis affecting telecommunications infrastructure is creating widespread unavailability of mobile networks across Bangladesh for certain, limited timeframes.
Diesel generators at mobile towers are critical to keeping the tower operational during power outages; however, with current fuel supply shortages, the reliability of supply chains is diminishing, and a large number of towers are unable to maintain service due to current fuel shortages—most especially during peak demand hours later tonight.
How the Fuel Crisis Is Bad for Networks
Telecom companies need fuel to keep their towers running when the power goes out in cities like Dhaka and Chittagong.
The main reasons why signals drop are:
- There isn’t enough diesel fuel for backup generators.
- People are relying more and more on fuel because power outages happen so often.
- A lot of network traffic at night makes systems that are already weak even weaker.
- Logistics are causing delays in getting fuel to remote towers.
Some towers may have to go offline for a short time because of this. This could cause weak signals, slow internet, or even complete outages.
How Long Will the Power Outage Last?
How long the disruptions last depends on how quickly the fuel supply gets back to normal.
- Short outages: A few hours in cities with better backups
- Problems that last a long time: For one night or more in rural and semi-urban areas
- The worst time for risk is: Evening to late night, when people need the most power
If fuel deliveries start up again soon, things could be back to normal in a day. If not, there may be problems every now and then for the next few days.
What Parts Are Most Affected?
Disruptions can happen anywhere in the country, but there are some places that are more likely to happen than others:
- Cities like Dhaka
- There are industrial areas near Chittagong.
Rural areas with infrastructure that isn’t as reliable, and power outages that last longer
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What You Should Do Right Now
Stay Smartly Connected:
- Always keep your phone charged.
- Use Wi-Fi calling if your broadband is stable.
- Don’t use a lot of data when things are busy.
- Store important contacts on your computer.
Preparing for an emergency:
Communicate with your family in advance.
Have alternate means of communication, such as a landline or messaging app that is operational while you are online.
What does this mean?
There is currently not enough diesel to fuel the mobile towers in Bangladesh.
Signal issues and blackouts may occur tonight, particularly during peak hours.
Most outages will not be for an extended period of time, but it can change based on your location (e.g. rural vs urban). If you’re prepared, you can eliminate communication problems.
The chances are that it is not only your device that is having trouble with the network tonight; it is likely that it is a larger issue with the infrastructure.
