Bangladesh’s internet subscriber base showed strong signs of recovery in July, adding nearly 24 lakh new users, according to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). The total number of internet subscribers rose by 1.78% month-on-month to reach 13.60 crore, largely driven by mobile operators.
Mobile internet subscriptions grew by 22.4 lakh in July, reaching 12.15 crore — a 1.88% increase from June. Broadband connections also saw growth, with 1.4 lakh new subscribers pushing the total to 1.44 crore.
The rebound follows a prolonged downturn that began after last year’s political upheaval. Mobile internet subscriptions, which peaked at 12.91 crore in June last year, dropped by 1.31 crore over the following seven months due to higher SIM taxes, reduced operator subsidies, and rising consumer costs. The government’s increase of SIM tax to Tk 300 forced smaller operators like Banglalink and Robi to scale back aggressive SIM promotions.
From January this year, the market began to stabilize, with April to July seeing an accelerated recovery of 52 lakh users. Industry leaders attribute the rebound to rising data consumption and renewed efforts by operators, particularly Grameenphone and Robi, to retain and expand their customer base.
Despite the recent growth, year-on-year comparisons show mobile subscriptions down 4.69% in July, while broadband subscriptions rose 6.78%. Overall, the country’s internet subscriber base contracted by 4.35% year-on-year.
