Grameenphone and Banglalink have formally asked the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to address what they claim is Robi Axiata’s continued violation of merger conditions with Airtel Bangladesh. Nearly nine years after the 2016 merger, the operators accuse Robi of still running Airtel as a separate brand despite clear directives from the regulator and the High Court.
According to their letters, Condition 20 of the merger approval required all marketing, communications, and commercial services to operate solely under the Robi name. Instead, Airtel-branded SIMs, retail signage, mobile apps, websites, and promotional offers remain active across the country. The operators say this misleads customers, creates brand confusion, and gives Robi an unfair competitive edge by capitalizing on Airtel’s international brand equity.
They argue that continuing to issue Airtel SIMs under the 016 number series and maintaining a standalone Airtel ecosystem breach both regulatory guidelines and High Court–endorsed obligations. Grameenphone and Banglalink have requested BTRC to investigate the alleged non-compliance and take corrective action to uphold fair market competition.
Robi, however, insists it is fully compliant, stating Airtel is a legally acquired sub-brand under Robi Axiata Limited, similar to other global telecom sub-branding practices — pointing to Grameenphone’s own youth-focused brand Skitto as an example. Robi says sub-branding enhances customer choice and does not violate merger terms
