The telecom regulator BTRC carries out content-blocking requests under Bangladesh's Cyber Security Act. A website block can show a notice page or stop an encrypted connection before the page loads. OONI, an independent project that measures internet censorship, has documented both symptoms and differences between networks. Check the providers your visitors use: one working connection does not establish access across the country.
Sources: Cyber Security Act 2026, section 8 · OONI, 10 January 2024
Check your page in Bangladesh now
The page is opened through mobile connections of Grameenphone, Robi and Banglalink, the way their customers would open it, and the answer comes provider by provider.
Who orders website blocks in Bangladesh?
BTRC, the telecom regulator, has a role in carrying out content-blocking requests under the Cyber Security Act 2026. Section 8 lets the National Cyber Security Agency's director general act against content that threatens cyber security, and lets law enforcement seek action on specified grounds such as national security and public order. The section requires tribunal permission within three days of removing or blocking content; without that permission, access must be restored.
Source: Bangladesh Ministry of Law, Cyber Security Act 2026, section 8, checked 14 November 2026
Gambling blocks also have a separate legal basis. The Gambling Prevention Act 2026 allows the government or an authorised body to block gambling websites, apps, domains and server addresses. Section 43 assigns BTRC responsibility for blocking illegal websites, apps, domains, addresses and communication channels.
Source: Bangladesh Ministry of Law, Gambling Prevention Act 2026, sections 38 and 43, 1 July 2026
What does a blocked visitor see?
On Link3 on 4 May 2026, an OONI test of dailybdtimes.com received a page titled "WARNING" with the message "This webpage has been blocked". DNS, the service that looks up a site's server address, returned the same address as OONI's comparison test, and the initial connection succeeded. The replacement page arrived over unencrypted HTTP. A Grameenphone mobile test on 26 August recorded the same message for a different site.
Sources: OONI measurement, Link3, 4 May 2026 · OONI measurement, Grameenphone, 26 August 2026
Encrypted HTTPS connections can fail without a notice. During the January 2024 election, OONI found repeated failures while setting up encrypted connections to Manab Zamin, Samakal, Jamuna TV and VOA Bangla. HTTP tests confirmed block pages for Manab Zamin on Grameenphone and VOA Bangla on Axiata. The blocks were not present on every tested network. These are dated observations, not a claim that those sites remain blocked today.
Source: OONI, 10 January 2024
Can a wider outage look like a website block?
Yes. Bangladesh lost mobile and fixed internet during the July 2024 shutdown. Broadband began returning on 23 July and resumed more widely on 24 July; mobile internet returned on 28 July. Restrictions on selected services continued after connectivity returned. If visitors cannot open many unrelated sites, investigate the wider connection before treating the problem as a block of your domain.
How can I check access and report a problem?
- Record the full address, provider, connection type, time and error message. Compare mobile data with home broadband.
- Look for existing tests of your domain in OONI Explorer. Check the date and network; an old result does not describe access today.
- Send the evidence to the affected provider and ask whether a block or a service fault explains it.
BTRC's online complaint form accepts operator and location details and asks whether you have already informed the operator and received a ticket. An affected customer can use it to document a service complaint. The form does not describe a dedicated appeal procedure for website-blocking orders. Keep the provider's reply and any order reference with your evidence.
Sources: OONI's measurement scope and limitations, 31 July 2025 · BTRC Complain Box, checked 14 November 2026
For other reasons a page may fail on only one connection, see why a site works on Wi-Fi but not on mobile data.
Which providers should I compare in Bangladesh?
Bangladesh's mobile operators include Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and Teletalk. For home broadband, record the visitor's exact provider; Link3 is one provider offering fixed fibre connections.
Sources: AMTOB industry statistics · Link3 company page, checked 14 November 2026
What does linkspect check in Bangladesh?
A check opens your URL through the mobile connections of Grameenphone, Robi and Banglalink customers. You receive a separate answer for each provider. Results may still be incomplete, and the providers' own DNS server addresses are not verified yet, so a DNS block is marked "likely" at most. A page that opened can show as grey "Not verified" when the main check for Bangladesh could not be completed; see the verdict reference.
Facts checked on 14 November 2026.