Mobile subscribers see slight dip in 2025

Bangladesh’s telecom sector recorded a slight fall in total mobile phone subscribers in December 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier, due mainly to a drop in active connections after new limits on SIM ownership per individual.

With this, the total subscribers across the four major operators stood at 18.59 crore as of December 2025, down from 18.76 crore as of December 2024.

The year-on-year decline amounted to 17 lakh users.

In June 2025, the government formally capped personal SIM ownership to 10 from 15 as part of a broader push to improve transparency in telecom services, curb criminal misuse of mobile connections and strengthen national security oversight.

Subscribers were initially given until October 30, 2025, to voluntarily deregister or transfer SIMs exceeding the new limit. The deadline was later extended to December 29, 2025.

Industry insiders say this process played a major role in the overall decline. Operator performance, however, varied.

Grameenphone, the country’s largest operator, retained its top position with 8.42 crore mobile subscribers, slightly down from 8.45 crore a year earlier.

Robi Axiata posted growth, increasing its subscriber base from 5.67 crore in December 2024 to 5.74 crore in December 2025, adding 7 lakh users.

Banglalink moved in the opposite direction, with subscribers falling from 3.98 crore to 3.75 crore, a loss of 23 lakh users. Industry sources link the drop to intensifying competition.

State-owned Teletalk saw a slight rise, growing from 65.6 lakh to 68 lakh subscribers. This gave it a market share of 3.66 percent as of December 2025.

Among the three private operators, only Robi Axiata expanded its subscriber base during the year.

Asked about the trend, Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory affairs officer at Robi Axiata, said, “We continue to make significant investments in expanding and improving our network to deliver the coverage and service quality our customers expect.”

“The positive response from our customers has been clear. Their recognition of our network leadership has translated into continued customer growth and increased market share,” he added.

“Our focus remains on building a future-ready network that delivers superior performance, reliability, and value,”

said Alam.