Bangladesh Travel Guide - Communications

Country code: 880. Public telephone booths are located at the principal marketplaces and in post offices in the main towns.

Coverage is limited to main towns.

Public Internet services exist in the main towns and there are also a few Internet cafes. Hotels in Dhaka and Chittagong offer Internet access (mainly to guests).

Airmail takes three to four days to Europe; surface mail can take several months. Post boxes are blue for airmail and red for surface mail.

The main broadcast media in Bangladesh, Radio Bangladesh and Bangladesh Television, are state-owned and favourable to the Government. Little coverage is given to the political opposition, except in the run-up to general elections when a caretaker Government takes control. Although Bangladesh Television remains the country's sole terrestrial TV channel, private satellite-delivered TV stations have established a presence. The constitution guarantees press freedom, but journalists are subject to regular harassment from the police and political activists. Bangladeshi newspapers are diverse, outspoken and privately owned. English-language titles appeal mainly to the educated urban elite. The authorities sometimes withdraw foreign publications from circulation over articles or images considered malicious or offensive.

• There are some daily English-language papers, the most popular being the Bangladesh Observer, followed by the Daily Star and the New Nation.
• The main English-language weeklies include Holiday.
• The main Bengali dailies are Dainik Ittefaq and Dainik Jugantor.
• Almost all these newspapers are published in Dhaka and circulated throughout the country.

• Bangladesh Television (BTV) is government-run.
• ATN Bangla, Channel i and NTV are private channels available via satellite and cable.

• Betar-Radio Bangladesh is Government-run.
• Radio Metrowave is a commercial, music and news station aimed at younger listeners in Dhaka.
• The BBC World Service is available on FM in Dhaka.