Best VPNs for Bangladesh

However, the Asian country is ranked as ‘partly free’ by Freedom House due to content filtering, obstacles to access such as app blocking, complete internet shutdowns, and more. Therefore, VPNs are more of a necessity than a choice for Bangladeshi, who thankfully don’t have to break any laws to use one since they are legal in the country.

Using a Bangladeshi IP

In 2011 only 5% of people in Bangladesh had access to the internet but the country has been able to follow the same pattern of internet growth as many other countries in the world. In recent years it has boosted the overall internet penetration, even though the numbers from international sources and those belonging to the government differ quite a lot. For instance, while the UN’s International Telecommunication Union estimated internet penetration at 18% in 2016, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission reported it at close to 50%. What both parties agree on, however, is that nine out of ten people are connecting from mobile platforms. The widespread access to 4G was one of the biggest contributors to this, even though Speedtest.net’s global index shows that Bangladesh’s average speeds rank below 100 on mobile and close to that mark through broadband.

In terms of website blocking, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is in the middle of a war against adult content and over 20,000 targets have already been taken down. Other general services such as Facebook and WhatsApp were also blocked previously, too, while news and political sites are often on the BTRC ‘s radar.

Bangladesh online privacy laws

There are no laws addressing online privacy in Bangladesh. On the contrary, the country approved the so-called Digital Security Act 2018, which is being heavily criticized for restricting freedom of expression. Section 43 is one of the most problematic as it allows the authorities to arrest anyone they believe has broken the law by speaking out online against the government and the national symbols, spreading propaganda against Bangladesh’s Liberation War, and more. Even worse, sentences go up to 10 years and repeated infringements may result in a lifetime in prison. Consequently, organizations such as Amnesty International have urged for new laws to ensure the protection of the Bangladeshi when online.

Internet censorship in Bangladesh

However, content blocking and filtering is still very much a common practice in Bangladesh, as are data and speed caps.

Streaming services in Bangladesh

Despite the implementation of 4G in the country, Bangladeshi speeds are far from suitable for uninterrupted streaming, especially considering the data caps commonly implemented by ISPs. While the country may not be ready for high-quality streaming just yet, the dominant services of the industry such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video are already available. In response, Bangladeshi telecom operators prepared themselves for this by developing their own in-house alternatives. Bioscope, for instance, is a streaming service created in 2016 by Grameenphone, the leading telecommunications provider in Bangladesh, while rival companies Banglalink and Robi have developed Banglaflix and Robi TV, respectively.

Likewise, ISPs have also created their own music streaming services, which are very popular in the country given that international apps like Spotify or Apple Music are not available. Yonder Music is the leading app of this kind and it’s free for Robi and Airtel subscribers, while rivals Banglalink Vibe and GP Music are subscription-based services delivered by the two other ISPs mentioned above. Also, GAAN is exclusively dedicated to Bangla music and Bangladeshi musicians.

Free Bangladeshi VPN trials

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