Bangladesh has increased the monthly spending limit for Direct Operator Billing by 150% to Tk 5,000, while also allowing the regulated mobile balance payment mechanism to be used for smartphones and other approved devices and digital services.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), following approval from Bangladesh Bank, has also raised the annual Direct Operator Billing (DOB) ceiling from Tk 20,000 to Tk 50,000.
The revised limits have been approved for six months and could expand access to smartphones and digital services among consumers without credit cards, bank accounts or other conventional payment channels.
Previously, smartphones could not be purchased through DOB.
Mobile balances can now support device purchases
Direct Operator Billing allows subscribers to charge approved purchases directly to their mobile phone balance, providing an alternative payment mechanism for customers without access to cards.
Under the expanded framework, customers can potentially use DOB to purchase smartphones, SIM-enabled devices and routers, alongside other eligible digital products and services.
Industry officials said the higher spending ceiling could also support smartphone instalment programmes, with individual payments deducted from a customer’s mobile balance.
“The government is trying to increase smartphone penetration, and this would allow customers who do not have access to cards or other banking channels to purchase handsets using their mobile balances,” said Tanveer Mohammad, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Grameenphone.
Grameenphone is currently the only operator to have received approval under the revised ceiling. BTRC said other mobile operators can also apply.
DOB remains a restricted payment mechanism
Despite the increased limits, DOB is not being converted into a general-purpose mobile wallet.
Customers can use the mechanism for specified digital products and services, including digital content, applications and in-app purchases, online utility bills, e-ticketing, e-health services, approved government lotteries, online subscriptions and education platforms.
The framework places restrictions on financial and speculative activities.
Mobile balances cannot be used through DOB to purchase virtual currencies and similar items used in social media applications and games, including coins, points, credits, coupons, diamonds and gems.
Transactions involving applications that collect investments from the public, provide loans, store money or facilitate other financial transactions are also prohibited.
DOB cannot be used for gambling, casinos, cryptocurrency or crypto-asset trading, foreign-exchange trading, stock-market trading or multi-level marketing activities.
For services supplied by non-resident merchants where foreign-currency remittances are required, relevant approval from Bangladesh Bank’s Foreign Exchange Policy Department must be obtained where applicable.
Spending limits have expanded significantly since 2018
Bangladesh introduced DOB in 2018 with considerably lower transaction ceilings.
At launch, Bangladesh Bank established a monthly spending limit of Tk 600 and an annual ceiling of Tk 3,000.
In December 2025, the central bank temporarily increased those thresholds to Tk 2,000 per month and Tk 20,000 annually until June 2026. BTRC subsequently allowed operators to provide services under those limits subject to Bangladesh Bank’s conditions.
The latest revision takes the monthly ceiling to Tk 5,000 and the annual limit to Tk 50,000, representing a 150% increase from the previous thresholds.
The six-month approval suggests regulators will have an opportunity to assess adoption and potential risks before determining whether the higher limits should continue.
Operators face consumer protection and compliance requirements
Mobile operators offering DOB must ensure that purchased products and services are delivered to customers and establish mechanisms for consumer protection.
They are also required to formulate refund and chargeback policies.
DOB operations remain subject to inspections by Bangladesh Bank, while participating mobile operators are treated as reporting organisations under applicable anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing legislation.
These controls are particularly relevant as DOB expands from relatively small digital purchases toward higher-value transactions such as smartphones.
Why this matters
The addition of smartphones could make DOB considerably more important to Bangladesh’s digital inclusion strategy.
A consumer may have access to a mobile connection while lacking a credit card or conventional banking relationship. Allowing approved device purchases through mobile balances creates another route for those users to acquire the hardware needed to access digital services.
The higher Tk 5,000 monthly ceiling could be particularly useful when combined with instalment models, potentially reducing the upfront cost barrier associated with smartphone ownership. However, the impact will depend on the devices offered, instalment structures, operator participation and consumer uptake.
Editor’s note
Bangladesh is effectively testing whether the mobile operator billing relationship can be extended beyond small digital transactions into a controlled channel for improving access to connected devices.
The regulatory boundaries are important. DOB remains restricted to approved products and services and cannot function as unrestricted digital money, while financial, speculative and cryptocurrency-related transactions remain prohibited.
Grameenphone is currently the only operator approved under the revised ceiling, so the immediate scale of the initiative may be limited. The key developments to watch over the six-month period will be whether other operators secure approval, which smartphones become available through DOB, how instalment programmes are structured and whether the mechanism produces a measurable increase in smartphone adoption.
