Garena Free Fire officially banned in Bangladesh for three months

Free Fire has carved out a niche for itself in the mobile battle royale genre, attracting a sizable following in the subcontinent. Earlier, Garena had deployed a dedicated server for Bangladeshi gamers to provide a better gaming experience and regional events and tournaments.

However, recent events in Bangladesh have not been particularly good for Free Fire players. The country's High Court instructed the relevant authorities to ban the use of numerous applications, including Free Fire, for a period of three months. According to the petition, such mobile applications have a negative influence on the younger generation.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) passed an order banning Free Fire and several other applications.

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BTRC issues order to ban Free Fire in Bangladesh

BTRC has issued order to ban Free Fire in Bangladesh (Image via Free Fire)

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has issued an order, and Free Fire has been banned in the country.

A notice by the regulartory body was shared by a user on Twitter. It stated that the High Court has issued the following order:

"Pending hearing of the Rule, the respondents are hereby directed to ban/block/remove all links/internet gateway of PUBG, Free Fire and all other similar online games for a period of three months from date. "

The Ministry of Bangladesh Posts and Telecommunications has completed the process of blocking the pubg and free fire games following the direction of the High Court. However, it may take some time for the games to stop completely. pic.twitter.com/LRuZdglXjc

— SaaD (@____saadop____) August 26, 2021

It added that BTRC made the defendant and all its licensees comply with the High Court's order immediately.

Subrata Roy Maitra, Vice Chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, was quoted as saying the following, citing a Department of Telecommunications order:

"We have shut down PUBG and Free Fire and are taking steps to remove other harmful apps."

He went on to say that actions were being taken to suspend the use of other potentially harmful applications like TikTok, Bigo Live, and Likee.

The vice chairman further added,

"Even if you shut down the apps, they can be accessed through VPNs (virtual private networks). We do not have the capability to shut those down. We will also write to the authorities in charge of these apps to request their removal."

Earlier this year, there were reports of the Bangladesh Ministry of Education and Home Affairs recommending the suspension of PUBG Mobile and Free Fire in Bangladesh.