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The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has urged Meta to expand its operations in Bangladesh, establish local infrastructure and strengthen its technical capabilities to provide faster and uninterrupted services to users.
The issues were discussed at a meeting between BTRC officials and a Meta delegation at the office of BTRC Chairman Major General Md Emdad Ul Bari (retd.) at the commission’s headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Thursday (August 13).
Discussions focused on establishing a local Content Delivery Network (CDN)/Edge Node, introducing local payment facilities and using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and remove harmful content.
Yuen Ting Chay, Meta’s director of public policy for South and Central Asia; Ruzan Sarwar, head of public policy for Bangladesh and Nepal; and Matt Jansen, Meta’s lead for Edge Strategy in APAC, attended the meeting.
The Meta delegation expressed interest in further expanding the company’s operations in Bangladesh and strengthening regular communication and coordination with the BTRC. Both sides agreed on the need for closer cooperation.
The BTRC said a large number of internet users in Bangladesh use Meta’s various services and platforms. The commission therefore urged Meta to take necessary steps to expand its business in the country and establish a local office.
The BTRC also stressed the need for effective measures to quickly detect and remove harmful content from social media platforms, as well as introduce local payment facilities in Bangladesh.
Considering the large number of Meta platform users in the country, the commission requested the company to establish a local CDN/Edge Node, saying this would improve quality of service, provide faster connectivity and ensure more uninterrupted services for users.
A Meta representative said several provisions of Bangladesh’s previous Personal Data Protection Ordinance had created administrative and legal barriers to establishing local CDN/Edge Node infrastructure.
However, the representative said the Personal Data Protection Act, 2026, approved by the current government, did not contain such barriers. Meta would therefore work more proactively and swiftly to establish the necessary local infrastructure in Bangladesh, the representative added.
The Meta representatives also briefed the BTRC chairman on Facebook’s operations in Bangladesh and various contemporary issues.
The BTRC chairman urged Meta to take more effective measures to prevent criminals from using its platforms for fraudulent activities and promoting betting or gambling.
He also stressed the need for effective AI-based technical systems to automatically detect and remove such content immediately after publication.
The BTRC chairman expressed hope that Meta would continue its cooperation in preventing misinformation and rumours on social media.
In response, a Meta representative said some of the company’s activities had experienced temporary slowdowns due to a global workforce restructuring and a reduction in personnel. The situation would return to normal soon, the representative assured.
Ruzan Sarwar welcomed the BTRC chairman’s views and expressed Meta’s commitment to working more closely with the commission. She said the company would review the technical and legal aspects of establishing local infrastructure and an office in Bangladesh before taking further steps.
BTRC Vice-Chairman Md Abu Bakar Siddique, Systems and Services Department Director General Brigadier General Shahzad Parvez Miahuddin, Engineering and Operations Department Director General Brigadier General Shafiul Azam Parvez, and Systems and Services Department Deputy Director S M Taifur Rahman were also present at the meeting.
