The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) continues to struggle with the market dominance of Grameenphone, which holds between 45–48% of the country’s mobile subscribers and nearly 50% of industry revenues. Despite being declared a Significant Market Power (SMP) operator several years ago, the regulator has faced difficulty in curbing its dominance.
Grameenphone’s scale dwarfs its rivals: by the end of 2024, it reported revenues of BDT 158.45 billion and post-tax profits of BDT 36.31 billion, compared to Robi Axiata’s BDT 99.5 billion revenue and BDT 7.03 billion profit. Banglalink and Teletalk trail further behind with BDT 59.78 billion and BDT 5.52 billion in revenues, respectively.
SMP rules were meant to control the operator’s market behavior and allow competitors to grow, but enforcement has been slowed by litigation. Grameenphone has repeatedly challenged restrictions in court, forcing BTRC to revise and reissue directives. Currently, the company faces three main obligations:
- Pre-approval for new service launches, unlike rivals who only need to notify BTRC.
- Asymmetric mobile termination rates (MTR): Grameenphone earns BDT 0.10 per call made to other operators, compared to BDT 0.07 when calls terminate on its own network.
- Stricter mobile number portability (MNP) rules: switching to Grameenphone requires 90 days, while switching out takes only 60 days.
Grameenphone’s SIM sales were even suspended for almost a year, though the measure has since been lifted.
Meanwhile, Robi and Banglalink have filed complaints with the Bangladesh Competition Commission, accusing Grameenphone of abusing its market position by selling SIM cards at dumping prices to undercut competitors. The Commission says it is conducting a thorough review before taking further action.
Robi, with a market share hovering around 30%, has grown gradually over recent years but still lags far behind. Industry critics argue that without stricter SMP enforcement and regulatory reforms, true competition will remain elusive.
A senior BTRC official noted that the measures are not meant to punish Grameenphone for its success but to prevent abuse of dominance and ensure fair competition. A committee led by BTRC Vice Chairman Md Abu Bakar Siddique is currently reviewing data and consulting stakeholders on the SMP policy’s future.
