Bangladesh’s telecom sector is undergoing a regulatory reset after the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) introduced stricter Quality of Service (QoS) standards in September 2025. The revised framework raises the minimum 4G download speed requirement from 7 Mbps to 10 Mbps and introduces a new 2 Mbps minimum upload benchmark.
Median Speeds Exceed Regulatory Minimums
According to Speedtest Intelligence® data, Bangladesh’s national median 4G performance remains comfortably above the new thresholds. As of January 2026, median download speeds reached 31.15 Mbps, while median upload speeds stood at 12.22 Mbps — significantly higher than the 10 Mbps and 2 Mbps regulatory requirements.
Between August 2024 and January 2026, median download speeds increased by 14%, rising from 27.28 Mbps to 31.15 Mbps. The improvement accelerated following the September 2025 mandate, indicating operators responded quickly to regulatory pressure.
Upload speeds improved more modestly, increasing from 10.88 Mbps in August 2024 to 12.22 Mbps in January 2026, reflecting continued prioritisation of downlink capacity.
All Major Operators Clear National Benchmarks
In Q4 2025, all major operators surpassed the revised QoS standards at the national level:
- Banglalink: 31.22 Mbps (median download)
- Grameenphone: 30.69 Mbps
- Robi: 29.31 Mbps
- Airtel: 28.48 Mbps
- Teletalk: 21.38 Mbps
Upload performance also exceeded the 2 Mbps minimum nationwide, with Airtel (13.30 Mbps) and Robi (13.15 Mbps) leading in median upload speeds.
These gains were supported by spectrum acquisitions in the 2.3 GHz and 2.6 GHz bands and the gradual phase-out of 3G services, allowing operators to refarm spectrum for 4G expansion.
Regional Performance Remains Strong — On Average
Across all eight administrative divisions, median download and upload speeds exceeded regulatory minimums. Banglalink and Grameenphone posted particularly strong regional results, while even state-owned Teletalk cleared the benchmark in every region based on median performance.
This reflects sustained network modernisation and spectrum optimisation efforts.
The Bottom 10% Tells a Different Story
Despite strong median figures, bottom 10th percentile analysis — representing users at the network edge — reveals compliance gaps.
While median speeds exceed 10 Mbps nationwide, operators frequently failed to meet minimum requirements for edge users in multiple regions:
- Banglalink met the 10 Mbps download threshold in five of eight regions for bottom-tier users.
- Grameenphone failed to meet the benchmark in five regions.
- Robi missed the target in seven regions.
- Teletalk recorded download speeds as low as 2.22 Mbps in some areas.
Upload compliance at the bottom 10th percentile also remains challenging. In several regions, including Barisal, no operator met the 2 Mbps minimum for edge users.
A “Two-Speed” Bangladesh
The data highlights a clear divide. Urban and well-served areas demonstrate strong, regulation-compliant performance, while rural and low-density regions struggle to maintain minimum standards consistently.
The BTRC’s QoS mandate focuses on minimum performance, not averages. By that measure, Bangladesh’s 4G market remains only partially compliant.
What Comes Next?
To close the performance gap, operators will need to move beyond broad network expansion toward targeted densification strategies — deploying additional sites in underserved and low-coverage zones.
With increasing regulatory scrutiny and rising user expectations, ensuring consistent edge performance may become the next major competitive battleground for Bangladesh’s telecom operators.
