Wi-Fi, Wires & the Sky: The Full Picture of Internet Access in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has experienced a rapid expansion of internet access over the past decade. As of December 2023, the country had about 131 million internet subscriptions, up by 7 million in that year alone wicinternet.org. The vast majority are mobile internet users (118.5 million), while roughly 12.9 million are fixed broadband subscribers wicinternet.org. This means most people get online via mobile networks, with far fewer using home or fixed connections. In terms of population reach, an estimated 77–78 million individuals (around 44–45% of the population) were using the internet by early 2025 datareportal.com. This penetration rate reflects significant growth, yet still leaves more than half of Bangladeshis offline. The growth trend is positive – for context, internet users doubled from 54 million in 2015 to over 108 million in 2020 thefinancialexpress.com.bd – but achieving universal access remains a work in progress.

Broadly, internet access in Bangladesh is characterized by heavy reliance on mobile broadband, affordable data plans, and concentrated usage in urban areas. Mobile phone ownership and usage have skyrocketed under the government’s “Digital Bangladesh” initiative, which began in 2009. Back then, only about 20 million Bangladeshis had mobile phones; today over 120 million use mobile phones, driving internet adoption through mobile data services netmission.asia. The government’s push for digitization and ICT development has yielded 5,275 digital centers nationwide (one-stop service centers), delivering digital services over 120 million times to citizens and registering tens of millions of births online netmission.asia. These milestones illustrate how far the country has come in bringing people online. However, challenges like the urban-rural divide and quality of service persist, as we’ll explore. Overall, Bangladesh’s internet landscape is one of rapid growth and great potential, tempered by gaps in infrastructure and accessibility that policymakers and industry stakeholders are now striving to address.

Internet Infrastructure: Mobile Networks, Fiber Optics, and Broadband

Bangladesh’s internet infrastructure rests on three main pillars: widespread mobile networks, a developing fiber-optic backbone, and an evolving broadband (fixed) network. Mobile networks are the primary mode of internet access for most Bangladeshis, thanks to four major mobile operators that provide nationwide coverage. Grameenphone, Robi Axiata, Banglalink, and Teletalk collectively had over 190 million mobile subscriptions at the end of 2023 wicinternet.org – a figure exceeding the population (due to many users with multiple SIMs). These operators have built extensive 2G/3G/4G networks. Notably, 4G LTE now reaches the majority of the population (covering most urban and semi-urban areas), and even 3G service is available in very remote regions. Virtually all Bangladeshis are under some mobile network signal, a fact reflected in global indices where Bangladesh scores well on mobile network coverage ficci.org.bd. This wide coverage has been crucial for connecting rural communities via wireless broadband.

Table 1: Major Mobile Network Operators in Bangladesh (Subscribers as of Dec 2023) wicinternet.org

Source: Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) data wicinternet.org. (Subscribers include active SIM cards; many users have multiple subscriptions.)

Alongside the mobile radio network, Bangladesh has invested in its fiber-optic transmission network, which forms the backbone for both mobile backhaul and fixed broadband. Since introducing Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN) licenses in 2009, the country has laid an extensive fiber footprint. As of mid-2023, Bangladesh had about 153,400 km of fiber optic cable deployed (approximately 80,600 km overhead and 72,800 km underground) ficci.org.bd. This fiber backbone connects all 64 district centers and many upazilas (sub-districts), enabling high-capacity data links across the country. However, network quality remains an issue – over half of the existing fiber cables are considered substandard or not “telecom-grade,” limiting the quality of 4G/5G data services in some areas ficci.org.bd. Much of the fiber was installed aerially (hung on poles) and is susceptible to cuts, weather, and high latency, whereas underground fiber is expanding but still insufficient. The government acknowledges this weakness; projects are underway to upgrade and expand fiber networks. For example, a national project approved in 2022 is extending 3,144 km of new underground fiber and upgrading transmission equipment, with a goal of achieving 100 Gbps data capacity at each upazila by 2024 dhakatribune.com dhakatribune.com. These improvements aim to bolster backhaul for upcoming 5G and fiber-to-the-home services, ensuring the backbone can carry the surging traffic demand.

On the international front, Bangladesh is connected to the global Internet via multiple submarine fiber-optic cables. The country’s first submarine cable (SEA-ME-WE 4) went live in 2005 and a second (SEA-ME-WE 5) in 2017 dhakatribune.com. Together these provide a bandwidth capacity of about 2,600 Gbps (as of 2020) for international internet transit dhakatribune.com. Bangladesh’s usage of international bandwidth has been rising fast – from just 300 Gbps in 2016 to about 1,600 Gbps by 2020 dhakatribune.com, and continuing upward as 4G usage grows. To meet future demand, a third submarine cable (SEA-ME-WE 6) is being installed and is expected to be operational by 2024. This new cable will add an enormous 7,200 Gbps (7.2 Tbps) of capacity, boosting Bangladesh’s total international bandwidth and providing redundancy dhakatribune.com. The SEA-ME-WE 6 cable will link Bangladesh directly to Singapore and France (among other landing points), and help ensure faster, more reliable connectivity to global internet hubs dhakatribune.com. In addition to these consortium cables, the private sector is also stepping in – for instance, regional companies are developing Bangladesh’s first privately owned undersea cable link to Singapore consultancy.asia. Increased international bandwidth should translate into better speeds and uptime for users, as well as the ability for Bangladesh to export bandwidth to neighboring countries (Bangladesh already supplies internet bandwidth to parts of northeast India, and there are plans to serve Bhutan and others) dhakatribune.com.

Broadband (fixed) access in Bangladesh is still developing compared to mobile. The fixed broadband network consists of thousands of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) – ranging from nationwide operators to small local cable internet providers. These ISPs typically deliver internet to homes and businesses via fiber-optic or cable lines (in urban areas) or wireless radios. The state-run Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) also provides ADSL/fiber broadband in some areas, though the private ISPs dominate the market. As of late 2023, Bangladesh had around 12.9 million fixed broadband subscriptions wicinternet.org, which implies roughly 7% of the population has a wired/wireless broadband connection at home. This is a relatively low household penetration, reflecting the urban focus of broadband – it’s mostly available in cities and large towns. In recent years, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connectivity has grown in cities like Dhaka and Chittagong, with ISPs offering affordable packages (e.g. 20–50 Mbps plans for around Tk 800–1500, or $8–15, per month). The broadband market has become very competitive, leading to falling prices and improving quality. Notably, seeing the rapid expansion, mobile operators themselves are now entering the fixed broadband arena: in 2023–24, all three private mobile carriers (Grameenphone, Banglalink, and Robi) launched Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services that provide home Wi-Fi via 4G/5G networks thedailystar.net thedailystar.net. For example, Grameenphone’s new “GPFi” service and Banglalink’s wireless router service allow customers to get an unlimited home internet connection without a physical cable – essentially using the mobile network to deliver broadband. Regulators updated guidelines to permit these services thedailystar.net, and the trend is increasing competition between traditional ISPs and mobile operators in the home internet segment thedailystar.net. The broadband infrastructure is thus a mix of fiber cables, Wi-Fi, and cellular technology, all aiming to deliver faster internet to consumers. As of mid-2024, the broadband market’s value was around Tk 8,000 crore (~$800 million) and growing briskly thedailystar.net, indicating strong demand for high-speed connectivity beyond mobile phones.

In summary, Bangladesh’s internet infrastructure is advancing on multiple fronts. The mobile network is the backbone of connectivity (with widespread 4G and looming 5G), the fiber-optic network is expanding to support higher capacities, and the broadband ISP sector is flourishing, especially in urban centers. Continued investment in fiber quality, tower infrastructure, and international bandwidth are critical to improve service quality. The government and private sector are both active in this space, laying the groundwork (quite literally, in the case of fiber) for the next generation of digital services.

Urban vs. Rural: Availability and Penetration

Despite the broad progress in network rollout, a significant digital divide persists between urban and rural Bangladesh. Internet access and usage are far more common in cities than in the countryside. According to a 2024 survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), only 36.5% of people in rural areas reported using the internet, compared to 71.4% in urban areas dhakatribune.com. In other words, urban residents are roughly twice as likely to be online as their rural counterparts. This disparity underscores that availability and penetration of internet services in rural communities lag behind significantly.

Several factors drive this urban-rural gap. Infrastructure is a primary issue – rural areas often lack the same density of cell towers, fiber connections, and reliable electricity as cities. While mobile network coverage does reach rural regions, the quality of service (e.g. 4G signal strength and bandwidth) may be inferior in remote villages, and many villages still rely on slower 2G/3G connections. Moreover, far fewer rural households have broadband or Wi-Fi connections, since ISPs have been slow to extend fiber/cable into sparsely populated areas that are costly to serve. Low digital literacy and income levels also play a role dhakatribune.com. Experts note that many rural Bangladeshis have limited awareness or skills to use the internet, and some who might benefit cannot afford devices or data plans. Poverty is higher in rural districts, making even Bangladesh’s relatively cheap data a strain for low-income families. These economic and educational barriers mean that even where network coverage exists, internet adoption remains low.

The consequences of this divide are evident – rural communities have less access to online information, educational content, e-commerce, and e-government services, which can exacerbate socio-economic inequalities. The government has recognized this challenge and launched initiatives to bridge the urban-rural connectivity gap. One flagship program is the “My Village – My Town” initiative, which aims to bring all rural areas onto high-speed networks and provide urban-like services in villages a4ai.org. Under this vision, hundreds of Union Digital Centers (UDCs) have been established at the union council (local government) level, giving villagers access to internet-linked services such as telemedicine, digital payments, and exam registrations. The government, through the regulator’s Social Obligation Fund, is also financing infrastructure projects focused on underserved areas. For example, a 2022 project of Tk 2,026 crore was dedicated to connect haor (wetland) regions, islands, and hill tracts that were “deprived of telecommunication facilities” thedailystar.net. This ambitious project includes laying fiber to remote upazilas, building cellular towers via Teletalk in hard-to-reach areas, and even deploying connectivity through Bangladesh’s own satellite where ground networks are not feasible thedailystar.net thedailystar.net. Notably, Bangabandhu Satellite-1 (the country’s first communications satellite) is being used to connect isolated islands and chars with broadband internet as part of this effort thedailystar.net.

These efforts are gradually improving rural connectivity. The BBS survey data cited above suggest that over one-third of rural residents are now online, which is a substantial increase from earlier years (e.g. rural internet use was in the teens a decade ago). However, the gap with urban areas remains wide. Limited infrastructure, low digital literacy, and economic constraints in rural areas are persistent hurdles that Bangladesh must overcome to achieve true digital inclusion dhakatribune.com. Policymakers emphasize that bridging this digital divide is essential for equitable development – ensuring that villagers can access telehealth, remote education, and market information just as city dwellers can. In summary, internet availability in Bangladesh is much higher in cities than villages, but targeted programs and new technologies (like satellite broadband and 5G) hold promise to narrow this divide in the coming years.

Major Service Providers and Mobile Operators

Bangladesh’s internet access is delivered by a mix of telecom operators and internet service providers, each playing distinct roles. On the mobile side, four operators dominate, while on the fixed broadband side, hundreds of ISPs compete (with no single ISP having nationwide dominance comparable to the telcos).

Mobile Network Operators (MNOs): The “Big Four” mobile carriers are Grameenphone (GP), Robi Axiata, Banglalink, and Teletalk. Grameenphone – a subsidiary of Norway’s Telenor – is the largest with over 82 million subscribers wicinternet.org and a reputation for the widest coverage. Robi Axiata (part of Malaysia’s Axiata Group, which merged with Airtel Bangladesh in 2016) is the second largest with about 59 million subscribers wicinternet.org. Banglalink (owned by VEON) follows with roughly 43 million users, and Teletalk (the state-owned carrier) has about 6.5 million wicinternet.org. Together, these operators have achieved nearly 100% population coverage with basic voice/SMS services and extensive 3G/4G data networks. Grameenphone alone reports covering over 99% of the population with its network. The three private operators are foreign-backed and bring significant investment and technical expertise, while Teletalk, though much smaller, often spearheads government-driven projects (for example, Teletalk was first to pilot 5G service). Competition among these telcos is intense, particularly for mobile internet customers. This competition has pushed data prices down and encouraged continuous network upgrades.

In terms of services, all operators offer 2G (voice, EDGE data), 3G, and 4G LTE services. 4G, launched in 2018, is now the standard for data in cities and towns; by 2023 all four operators had rolled out thousands of 4G sites. Call and data quality vary by carrier and location – for instance, Banglalink was recently rated as having the fastest mobile internet in Bangladesh, with 89% of its test samples achieving at least 5 Mbps download newagebd.net. Grameenphone, known for coverage, has slightly slower speeds but more consistency in remote areas. Robi (including Airtel brand) sits somewhere in between. Teletalk, with limited spectrum and funding, lags in coverage and speed, serving mainly as a backup network or niche provider (it’s popular for some government employee packages and in a few rural areas where it has projects).

The fixed-line and broadband providers present a very different landscape. Bangladesh has no former state monopoly in internet services (BTCL, the successor to the state telephone company, provides some DSL/fiber, but it’s minor). Instead, hundreds of private ISPs operate across the country. Many of these are small businesses serving a single city or neighborhood, often by pulling fiber or cable to homes. There are, however, a few larger ISPs with broader reach. For example, Link3, ISP Association members like AmberIT, DigiNet, BDCOM, ADN, and others have built networks in multiple cities and towns. BDCOM in particular is one of the largest and operates an extensive nationwide network, even providing backhaul to smaller ISPs businessinspection.com.bd. These ISPs typically interconnect with the global internet via a handful of International Internet Gateways (IIGs) licensed by the government, and they often lease fiber capacity from NTTN companies or the power grid/railway fiber networks.

Because the fixed broadband market is fragmented, there isn’t a single “market share” leader comparable to the mobile sector. Instead, different ISPs lead in different localities. For example, in Dhaka city, a handful of ISPs have the majority of home users, whereas in Chittagong or Sylhet, the leaders might be different companies. The broadband packages on offer are quite affordable by international standards: a typical home user can get 10 Mbps unlimited for around Tk 600 ($6) or 20–30 Mbps for Tk 800–1200 ($8–12) per month from many providers. Often these packages come with local caching or BDIX (domestic exchange) connectivity at even higher speeds for Bangladeshi content. This has stimulated a vibrant local internet ecosystem – users heavily consume YouTube, Facebook, and domestic streaming services, and local data centers cache popular content to reduce international bandwidth usage.

One interesting development is the convergence of mobile operators and broadband. As noted earlier, mobile companies are launching home internet services using their cellular networks (FWA). In mid-2024, Grameenphone, Banglalink, and Robi each began pilots of wireless broadband. Grameenphone’s “GPFi Unlimited” and Banglalink’s router packages allow a household to get high-speed internet via a special 4G modem, without waiting for a fiber line thedailystar.net thedailystar.net. Robi is also introducing a similar service. These offerings blur the line between traditional mobile and ISP services – the telcos are leveraging their vast spectrum and network assets to capture a share of the broadband market. Industry observers expect fierce competition as a result, potentially driving down prices further and compelling ISPs to improve service quality thedailystar.net. From a consumer perspective, this is a welcome trend: customers, especially in second-tier cities and towns, will have more choices for home internet (if one’s area lacks good ISP coverage, a wireless solution from a telco might fill the gap).

In summary, Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink, and Teletalk are the key players for mobile internet, whereas no single ISP dominates broadband – instead a competitive assortment of providers serve that market. All these players, big and small, contribute to Bangladesh’s connectivity. Collaboration is also seen (for instance, ISPs often use mobile operators’ infrastructure for last-mile wireless links, and mobile operators lease fiber from NTTN companies). The ecosystem is dynamic, with the boundaries between mobile and fixed internet increasingly overlapping as technologies evolve.

Internet Pricing and Speed

One of the standout features of Bangladesh’s internet landscape is affordability of data. Mobile internet in particular is among the cheapest in the world. According to a global survey of data pricing (Cable.co.uk’s 2022 report), Bangladesh ranked 12th most affordable country for mobile data dhakatribune.com. The average cost of 1 GB of mobile data in Bangladesh was about $0.32 (Tk 33) in 2022 dhakatribune.com. For perspective, in the same survey India was $0.17 per GB (ranked 5th), Nepal $0.21 (10th), Sri Lanka $0.25 (11th), and Pakistan $0.29 (13th) dhakatribune.com – South Asia generally offers very cheap data by global standards. This low pricing means that even low-income users can often afford basic internet packages (e.g. monthly social packs for a dollar or less). The reason behind the low prices is intense competition and reliance on mobile internet. With over a hundred million users and several operators vying for market share, data packages have become a high-volume, low-margin product. Additionally, because fixed broadband is not widespread, mobile data is the primary way to get online for most people, resulting in a “saturated market” that keeps prices low dhakatribune.com. In essence, Bangladesh (like India) has leveraged economies of scale and competitive markets to ensure that the price of internet per GB is very low, which is a positive for bridging the digital divide.

However, the flip side historically was that low cost came with relatively low speed and quality. Bangladesh’s average internet speeds – both mobile and fixed – have traditionally trailed global averages. In 2022, for example, Bangladesh ranked 125th out of 139 countries in mobile data speed, with an average download speed around 11.7 Mbps dhakatribune.com. At that time, it lagged behind neighbors like Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and India, which (perhaps surprisingly) all clustered around the 115th–118th ranks on that speed index dhakatribune.com. The good news is that speeds in Bangladesh have improved significantly in recent years. As 4G networks expanded and fiber backhaul improved, mobile broadband speeds rose. By late 2024, Bangladesh had climbed to 88th place globally in Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index for mobile internet newagebd.net. The average mobile download speed reached 28.26 Mbps as of November 2024, up from 27.5 Mbps just a month earlier newagebd.net. While 28 Mbps is not extraordinarily high, it marks a solid improvement and has pushed Bangladesh ahead of some regional peers in speed. (For instance, Pakistan ranked 97th and Sri Lanka 100th in that November 2024 index, indicating their speeds were somewhat lower than Bangladesh’s newagebd.net.) India, it should be noted, has surged far ahead on mobile speed – with the rollout of 5G, India’s average mobile download was about 100.8 Mbps (ranked 25th) in the world newagebd.net. So Bangladesh still has a gap with India and some other advanced markets, but it is catching up to the global median.

On the fixed broadband side, speeds have also improved. Many urban homes now enjoy fiber or cable connections with tens of Mbps. According to the Speedtest index, Bangladesh’s median fixed broadband speed in November 2024 was about 48.9 Mbps newagebd.net. The country ranked 99th of 155 countries in fixed broadband speed at that time, an improvement from 101st earlier newagebd.net. Hitting ~50 Mbps places Bangladesh’s fixed internet in a decent spot internationally – not leading, but roughly on par with the global median. Neighboring countries’ fixed broadband situations vary: India’s average fixed speed is higher (above 60 Mbps on average en.wikipedia.org), Nepal’s surprisingly strong in fixed (over 70 Mbps on average) due to their aggressive fiber rollouts en.wikipedia.org, whereas Sri Lanka’s fixed broadband is actually lower (many Sri Lankans rely on mobile, so fixed avg was around 23 Mbps) en.wikipedia.org. Bangladesh’s steady progress is driven by the shift to fiber optics in the last-mile and better international bandwidth. Still, in rural areas, fixed broadband is often not available, meaning those users only have mobile internet, which might be slower than the city Wi-Fi connections.

It’s also worth noting the consistency and quality factors. While average speeds are as noted, many users experience variability. The concept of “broadband quality” includes latency, uptime, etc. Bangladesh’s networks face challenges such as power outages (load-shedding) that can disrupt connectivity – if cell towers lose power for long, mobile internet drops, and if ISPs don’t have backups, home internet goes down. This affects perceived quality more than raw speed at times. Satellite internet (discussed later) is seen as one way to mitigate such issues by providing redundancy thedailystar.net.

In terms of pricing for broadband, as mentioned, the cost is higher than mobile on an absolute basis but still relatively affordable. A home broadband line of 20–25 Mbps unlimited might cost Tk 1000 (~$10) per month, which is reasonable for middle-class households in cities. The government does monitor and intervene in broadband pricing to keep it consumer-friendly. In 2021, the regulator introduced guidelines for uniform nationwide pricing (the “One Country, One Rate” initiative), which standardized packages (e.g. 5 Mbps, 10 Mbps, 20 Mbps plans) at set price points to prevent overcharging outside big cities. While not strictly enforced, it signaled a push for lower broadband tariffs. Consequently, anecdotal evidence suggests broadband subscription rates have risen as costs come down and speeds go up.

To sum up, Bangladesh offers internet at a very low cost per GB, enabling broad usage especially via mobile data. Speeds that once were very low have improved to moderate levels, though there is still room to grow to meet global benchmarks. The combination of low cost and improving speed bodes well for the future: users will be able to do more online (streaming, video calls, e-learning) without prohibitive costs. Policymakers continue to emphasize that internet must remain affordable to achieve the vision of Digital Bangladesh, and the market competition so far has aligned with that goal.

Government Policies, Regulations, and Digital Development Initiatives

The Bangladeshi government has been a key driver in expanding internet access and promoting digital services. Under the banner of “Digital Bangladesh,” it launched a comprehensive strategy in 2009 to transform the country through technology. This vision, championed by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, rested on four pillars: Human Resource Development, Digital Government, Connectivity & Infrastructure, and ICT Industry Promotion netmission.asia. Over the past decade, numerous policies, projects, and regulations have flowed from this vision.

Digital Bangladesh Initiative (2009–2021): First announced in 2008 as an election manifesto, Digital Bangladesh aimed to bridge the digital divide and empower citizens via ICT netmission.asia. The government made digitization a political priority, which led to accelerated development of ICT infrastructure and e-governance. By the end of 2021 (a symbolic milestone year for Digital Bangladesh), the country achieved many targets: the majority of government services became partially or fully digital, internet and mobile penetration had grown exponentially, and ICT exports (like software services) rose substantially netmission.asia. To facilitate this, the government established thousands of Digital Centers at union and municipality levels, bringing services like land records, birth registration, telemedicine, and licensing to citizens’ doorsteps through online platforms. Over “120 million service deliveries” have been provided through these centers as of a few years ago netmission.asia. The Digital Bangladesh initiative is widely regarded as a policy success, having mainstreamed the idea that connectivity and tech are tools of development. It enjoyed high-level coordination via the Access to Information (a2i) program under the Prime Minister’s Office, which piloted innovations such as mobile financial services and digital classrooms. The government also enacted supportive policies – for instance, reducing import duties on smartphones, creating hi-tech parks for IT firms, and establishing a National Broadband Policy (2009) that set targets for nationwide connectivity a4ai.org a4ai.org. (Officials have noted that the 2009 broadband policy now needs updating to incorporate new technologies and more ambitious penetration goals a4ai.org a4ai.org.)

To continue the momentum, the government unveiled the next stage: “Smart Bangladesh 2041.” Having largely achieved Digital Bangladesh by 2021, the ruling Awami League party campaigned in the 2024 election on transforming Bangladesh into a “Smart” country by 2041 netmission.asia netmission.asia. Smart Bangladesh emphasizes advanced technologies and smart systems – its four pillars are Smart Citizen, Smart Government, Smart Economy, and Smart Society netmission.asia. This implies a future of 5G/6G connectivity, IoT (Internet of Things) integration in infrastructure, cashless economy, AI-based services, and high-tech innovation driving growth. The government has already started initiatives under this vision, such as implementing smart national IDs, planning for smart cities, and strengthening cybersecurity and data governance frameworks. “Smart Bangladesh” is essentially the blueprint for the country’s digital development in the next two decades, picking up where Digital Bangladesh left off.

In terms of regulation and governance of the internet, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is the central body. BTRC issues licenses (for ISPs, mobile operators, IIGs, etc.), allocates spectrum, and monitors service quality. The BTRC has played a pivotal role in opening up the sector – for example, auctioning 3G and 4G spectrum on time (2013 and 2018 respectively) and recently preparing for 5G spectrum allocation. In late 2023, BTRC also drafted guidelines to embrace Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit (NGSO) internet services (like Starlink), demonstrating regulatory openness to new technologies jagonews24.com. At the same time, the government has sometimes taken a heavy-handed approach on internet content and usage. Laws like the Digital Security Act (now Cyber Security Act 2023) have been criticized for provisions that potentially curtail online speech and impose content restrictions, ostensibly for national security and anti-pornography reasons netmission.asia. The government defends such measures as necessary for a safe digital environment, though civil society urges a balance to ensure they don’t impede innovation or access to information.

Another key policy focus is “digital inclusion” and universal access. Bangladesh is committed to the UN Broadband Commission goals for 2030, which include making broadband affordable and accessible to all a4ai.org. In line with this, the government has set targets like connecting every school to the internet by 2030 a4ai.org and ensuring every village has some form of high-speed access (often quoted as “no village left behind”). The My Village – My Town initiative, mentioned earlier, is part of this policy package to reduce the urban-rural disparity by upgrading rural infrastructure and connectivity a4ai.org. To fund connectivity in unprofitable areas, the regulator manages a Social Obligation Fund (SOF) which collects a small percentage of revenues from telecom operators. This SOF finances rural projects such as building towers in remote locales and connecting Union Parishads with fiber. For example, as cited before, the Tk 2,026 crore remote area connectivity project (approved in 2022) is funded by this SOF and executed by agencies like Bangladesh Computer Council, Teletalk, and the Bangabandhu Satellite Company thedailystar.net thedailystar.net.

The government has also shown willingness to intervene on pricing and competition when needed. In 2020, for instance, when a significant merger (Robi-Airtel) altered the mobile market, BTRC imposed conditions to protect consumers. There are regulations ensuring service quality benchmarks, such as minimum broadband speeds and disclosure of fair usage policies. In 2021, when public demand grew for cheaper broadband, the Post and Telecom Division even announced a plan to standardize broadband prices (as noted, “One Country, One Rate”) which led many ISPs to voluntarily cut prices. While Bangladesh’s telecom market is largely liberalized and private-driven, the state retains significant influence through policy directives and owning Teletalk and BTCL.

Underpinning all these is the recognition, at the highest levels of government, that ICT is a development accelerator. Prime Minister Hasina and her ICT Affairs Advisor have frequently spoken about leveraging connectivity to reach middle-income status and beyond. This political will has translated into large budget allocations for ICT projects, tax incentives for tech investments, and nationwide digital literacy programs (such as training youth on freelancing and coding). The results are visible: Bangladesh’s ranking in the UN e-Government Development Index climbed 11 places in 2022, leading among Least Developed Countries tbsnews.net. Public services like tax filing, passport applications, and vaccine registration have moved online, demonstrating the government’s digitalization drive.

In summary, Bangladesh’s internet expansion has not been accidental – it is backed by strong government policy and initiatives. From Digital Bangladesh to Smart Bangladesh, from regulatory reforms to infrastructure projects, the state has actively shaped the digital landscape. While challenges remain (ensuring regulations don’t stifle innovation, improving cybersecurity, etc.), the partnership between government vision and private sector execution continues to propel Bangladesh’s connectivity forward. The policy environment today is one that encourages growth of internet services, seeks to make them affordable, and uses them to improve governance and citizens’ lives.

Satellite Internet: Availability, Providers, and Potential Impact

As Bangladesh pushes to connect its last-mile communities, satellite internet has emerged as an exciting new frontier. Traditionally, Bangladesh relied on satellite for TV broadcasting and some corporate data links, but not for mass-market internet. This is changing with the advent of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband services like SpaceX’s Starlink. In 2023–2024, Bangladesh took bold steps to open its doors to satellite internet providers. The BTRC drafted a regulatory framework for NGSO satellite services in late 2024, aiming to attract global players and allow local licensees to operate satellite internet gateways jagonews24.com. By early 2025, these efforts bore fruit: Starlink was officially licensed to operate in Bangladesh – making it the second country in South Asia (after Sri Lanka) to approve Starlink’s service thedailystar.net aa.com.tr.

The entry of Starlink is a significant development. In April 2025, the government granted Starlink a 10-year operating license, handing over the authorizations for it to import equipment, use spectrum, and deploy user terminals across the country aa.com.tr aa.com.tr. The final sign-off came from the (caretaker) Chief Adviser’s office, reflecting high-level support for the move thedailystar.net. Starlink’s presence is expected to augment Bangladesh’s internet capacity and reach, especially for remote and underserved areas. Officials noted that Starlink’s high-speed satellite links could be invaluable for connecting places fiber optic cables haven’t reached, such as the chars (river islands), deep haor wetlands, hilly tribal regions, and disaster-prone coastal belts thedailystar.net. In these areas, laying fiber or maintaining cell towers is challenging, but a satellite dish can beam broadband directly from the sky. Furthermore, Starlink’s service is touted to be resilient against power outages – since it doesn’t rely on a local tower that might lose power, a user with a Starlink kit and a backup power source can stay online even during prolonged load-shedding thedailystar.net. This could prove game-changing for Bangladesh, where power disruptions often knock out communications in rural areas.

The potential impact of Starlink and similar LEO constellations extends beyond just consumer internet. Industry experts term it a potential “data services revolution,” noting applications in backhaul and IoT jagonews24.com jagonews24.com. For instance, Starlink could provide a quick backhaul solution for mobile operators: instead of building a microwave relay or fiber to a remote tower, they could use Starlink to carry traffic from that cell site to the core network. It could also enable IoT connectivity for agriculture or environmental monitoring in remote regions (e.g. sensor networks that report via satellite). In disaster management, satellite internet can allow emergency teams to communicate when terrestrial networks are down – a real concern for cyclone- and flood-prone Bangladesh. Recognizing these benefits, the government’s guideline allows satellite operators with full foreign ownership or local partnerships, with provisions to ensure data security (such as requiring a gateway within Bangladesh for traffic monitoring) jagonews24.com jagonews24.com.

While Starlink is the frontrunner, Bangladesh is open to other satellite providers as well. OneWeb, a UK-based LEO satellite network (partnering with India’s Bharti), could also extend service to Bangladesh in the future, possibly through telecom operators. Additionally, Bangladesh has its own satellite ambitions: Bangabandhu Satellite-1, launched in 2018, is a geostationary satellite primarily used for TV broadcasting and government communications. While not originally meant for broadband, Bangabandhu-1 has been used in pilot projects to provide internet connectivity to remote schools and village kiosks thedailystar.net. The government is now planning a Bangabandhu Satellite-2 which, as per directives from the Prime Minister, should be launched in coming years with enhanced capabilities dhakatribune.com. It’s likely the second satellite will focus more on communications payloads that could include broadband services (perhaps using Ka-band for internet). This would complement foreign LEO services with a sovereign capacity for certain uses (and also allow bandwidth export to other countries).

In terms of availability and pricing, as of mid-2025 Starlink is in preparation to start services in Bangladesh. The company is working on a tariff plan to submit to BTRC aa.com.tr. While exact local prices are not announced yet, based on Starlink’s global pricing one can expect the hardware kit to cost a few hundred dollars and a monthly subscription around $80–$100. This is significantly higher than typical internet costs in Bangladesh. A rural consumer paying, say, Tk 500 ($5.00) for a monthly mobile bundle is unlikely to afford $100 for Starlink. Therefore, the initial uptake of Starlink may be focused on businesses, development organizations, and affluent users in remote areas who need reliable connectivity. Schools, hospitals, or local government offices in rural areas might also be target beneficiaries (potentially via government subsidies or USO projects). Over time, if costs come down or if communal models (e.g. village Wi-Fi from one Starlink dish) are implemented, more general users could benefit.

Besides Starlink, some local companies have started partnering in the satellite arena. For example, Bangladesh Satellite Company Ltd (BSCL, which operates Bangabandhu-1) is working on projects to connect remote villages via satellite as mentioned, and has also engaged in discussions to lease capacity from other satellites to expand internet reach. Regulatory support has been favorable – by setting a clear licensing regime and modest fees (e.g. $10k license fee, $50k annual fee) jagonews24.com, Bangladesh has made it relatively easy for satellite internet firms to enter the market.

The bottom line: Satellite internet is poised to add a “third layer” to Bangladesh’s internet access pyramid (with mobile and fiber being the first two layers). It won’t replace ground networks but will complement them by filling coverage gaps and adding resilience. Policymakers are optimistic that LEO satellite coverage over Bangladesh can ensure no terrain is too difficult and no community too isolated to be connected. If implemented well, it could dramatically accelerate rural connectivity, supporting the country’s goal of leaving no one offline. Over the next few years, watching how Starlink and potentially other satellite services roll out in Bangladesh will be an important part of the connectivity story.

Challenges and Opportunities in Expanding Access

Expanding internet access in Bangladesh further – to reach underserved populations and improve quality – comes with a set of challenges as well as opportunities. Addressing these will be crucial for the country’s digital future.

Challenges: (Key hurdles that Bangladesh faces in extending internet access and quality)

• Infrastructure Gaps: Despite progress, the underlying infrastructure needs upgrades. As noted, much of the fiber network is suboptimal (over 50% not up to 4G standard) ficci.org.bd, which can bottleneck high-speed data. Rural areas have fewer cell towers and those that exist may not be 4G-enabled or have sufficient backhaul. Extending fiber and power to remote regions (chars, hills, forests) is difficult and costly. Furthermore, Bangladesh’s flat riverine terrain means networks must contend with rivers and floods washing away cables or towers. Maintaining infrastructure in a disaster-prone country (cyclones, floods, lightning) is an ongoing challenge.
• Affordability for the Poor: While data is cheap, device cost and even nominal fees can be barriers for the poorest. Many rural families still cannot afford a smartphone or computer. Internet usage among lower-income and less-educated groups remains low. The BBS survey highlighting 36.5% rural usage versus 71.4% urban dhakatribune.com partly reflects this economic divide – urban dwellers are generally wealthier. Ensuring that the remaining offline population (often the poorest 20–30%) can afford devices and connections is a significant challenge.
• Digital Literacy and Awareness: A lack of digital skills and awareness inhibits internet uptake in certain demographics (particularly older adults, rural women, and marginalized communities). Even when connectivity is available, many people do not know how to use it productively – e.g. using search engines, online forms, or digital payments. This creates a usage gap: being connected vs. effectively using the connection. Tackling digital literacy requires education and training at the grassroots.
• Quality and Reliability Issues: Simply having an internet connection is not enough if the experience is poor. Many users complain of slow speeds at peak times, call drops, or websites timing out. Contributing factors include network congestion (especially on mobile networks with limited spectrum), power outages causing network downtime, and sometimes deliberate internet shutdowns in crises. Bangladesh has on occasion seen internet shutdowns or throttling for security reasons, which not only disrupt access but also shake user confidence. Additionally, latency on international links can be high, and inland internet exchanges need better optimization. All of these factors mean the user experience, especially outside major cities, can be uneven.
• Policy and Regulatory Hurdles: While the government is supportive of digital growth, certain regulatory limitations pose challenges. As the FICCI analysis pointed out, mobile operators historically were barred from laying their own fiber and had to rely on third parties at high cost ficci.org.bd ficci.org.bd. Such policies, intended to avoid duplication, inadvertently slowed fiber densification for mobile backhaul. There has been progress in easing these rules recently, but bureaucratic delays, spectrum pricing issues (5G spectrum was delayed over pricing disagreements), and heavy taxation on telecom (VAT, duties) can reduce operators’ ability or incentive to invest in expansion. The industry often calls for more favorable tax/regulatory regimes to facilitate faster network rollouts.
• Geographical and Climate Challenges: Bangladesh’s geography – vast deltas crisscrossed by rivers – makes infrastructure deployment expensive (submarine cables for river crossings, elevated towers in flood zones, etc.). Climate change is exacerbating flooding and river erosion, threatening existing infrastructure. Coastal areas need hardened, storm-proof connectivity solutions. Every year, cyclones damage telecom infrastructure in the south, requiring costly rebuilding. Thus, climate resilience needs to be baked into expansion plans, which is a technical and financial challenge.

Opportunities: (Key positive factors and avenues that Bangladesh can leverage to improve internet access)

• Strong Political Commitment: The government’s agenda (Digital Bangladesh -> Smart Bangladesh) provides a clear mandate and vision for connectivity. High-level support means large projects (like rural connectivity, fiber backbone upgrades) get funded and prioritized. For example, the government has committed to connecting all schools by 2030 and ensuring all villages have internet access under programs like My Village-My Town a4ai.org. This top-down push can mobilize resources and stakeholders toward universal access.
• Youthful, Tech-savvy Population: Over 50% of Bangladesh’s population is under 30. This young demographic is quick to adopt new technologies and services. The surge in social media use (45+ million social media users in 2023) and the popularity of mobile financial services (Nagad, bKash, etc.) show that given the opportunity, people embrace digital life. This creates a virtuous cycle: strong demand for internet services which in turn attracts more investment to expand those services. A digitally savvy youth also means a growing pool of human resources (developers, IT support, tech entrepreneurs) to drive the digital economy.
• Competitive Telecom Market: Bangladesh benefits from having multiple operators and ISPs, preventing complacency. Competition has already delivered low prices; it can also spur innovation. We’re seeing companies invest in 4G/5G, in fixed-mobile convergence, and in customer service improvements to gain an edge. The looming entry of Starlink and others introduces new competition in broadband aa.com.tr aa.com.tr, which could pressure local providers to up their game (for instance, by offering higher speeds or deploying to areas they previously ignored). Competition also encourages public-private partnerships – e.g. mobile operators partnering with government on coverage projects, knowing it might boost their user base.
• Advances in Technology: The timing is fortunate that new technologies like 5G and LEO satellites are becoming available just as Bangladesh is addressing its remaining connectivity gaps. 5G roll-out in the coming years will enable not just faster mobile data for consumers but also use-cases like fixed wireless (replacing last-mile fiber with 5G) and massive IoT (smart agriculture, smart grids). Bangladesh has already trialed 5G and is planning broader deployment; once spectrum is allocated, private operators are likely to launch 5G in urban centers and special economic zones. That will significantly increase capacity and speed, perhaps making gigabit wireless internet a reality for many. Meanwhile, satellite broadband offers an immediate shortcut to connect remote areas without waiting for fiber – as noted, the government sees it as a solution for connectivity in hard-to-reach areas and during disasters thedailystar.net thedailystar.net. Embracing these tech advances can leapfrog some traditional infrastructure limitations.
• International Bandwidth and Regional Integration: With the third submarine cable (SMW6) and other undersea projects, Bangladesh will soon have abundant international bandwidth. This not only means domestic users can get faster global access, but Bangladesh can become a regional connectivity hub – exporting bandwidth to neighbors like Nepal, Bhutan, and Northeast India dhakatribune.com. Selling excess bandwidth could generate revenue to reinvest in local infrastructure. It also positions Bangladesh in regional initiatives (e.g. the South Asian Super Grid for internet), increasing bargaining power for better prices from Tier-1 providers. Additionally, being well-connected internationally means the country can support burgeoning sectors like outsourcing, cloud services, and data centers, which further justifies expanding internal networks.
• Digital Services and Economic Opportunities: The expansion of internet access creates new economic opportunities that can, in turn, fuel further expansion (a positive feedback loop). For example, the rise of e-commerce in Bangladesh (expected to be a multi-billion dollar industry) motivates more small businesses to get online and more customers to seek connectivity to shop/bank online. The government’s focus on IT exports (setting a goal of $5 billion in ICT exports in coming years) means a growing IT industry that requires robust internet. Services like telemedicine, e-learning, and freelancing platforms give people a direct reason to obtain internet access. Especially in rural areas, if farmers can get market prices via smartphone or students can attend classes virtually, the demand for internet becomes linked to livelihoods. Meaningful use cases drive demand, and Bangladesh’s development programs are creating those use cases (e.g., digital agriculture advisories, cash transfer programs via mobile wallets). This represents an opportunity to make internet access not just a consumption item but a tool for income and empowerment, which will naturally support its expansion.

In conclusion, Bangladesh stands at a crossroads where it has significant challenges to overcome – infrastructural, socio-economic, and regulatory – but also an unprecedented array of opportunities and resources to leverage. The coming years will likely see a concerted effort by the government, in partnership with private industry and development partners, to extend the internet’s reach to every corner of the country. By addressing the challenges with innovative solutions and harnessing the opportunities, Bangladesh can move toward the goal of universal, high-quality internet access that powers its ambitions of becoming a smart, knowledge-based economy.

Comparisons to Regional Neighbors

To put Bangladesh’s internet landscape in context, it’s helpful to compare with some regional neighbors in South Asia. Countries like India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka share similarities with Bangladesh (in terms of demographics and developmental stage) but also show differing outcomes in internet access that highlight Bangladesh’s progress and remaining gaps.

Internet Penetration: Bangladesh’s internet penetration (about 44.5% of the population in early 2025) is lower than that of India or Sri Lanka, but in the same ballpark as Nepal and Pakistan. India, with its massive digital push (and Jio-led mobile revolution), has reached around 55% penetration – over 800 million internet users as of 2025 datareportal.com. Sri Lanka, a smaller and more urbanized country, boasts about 53–54% penetration (roughly 12.4 million users) datareportal.com. Nepal had about 49.6% penetration in 2024, roughly on par with Bangladesh dhakatribune.com tbsnews.net. Pakistan, given its population and infrastructure challenges, lags slightly behind with estimates in the 40–48% range by 2025 (Pakistan had about 116 million users out of ~240 million people) – meaning Bangladesh and Pakistan are fairly close on this metric. So, Bangladesh is not far from the regional average, but clearly, there is room to grow to catch up to India or Sri Lanka in terms of the proportion of people online. The government’s efforts in the late 2010s did help Bangladesh overtake the one-third mark, and now the next target would be to surpass 50% (half the population) in the next couple of years.

Urban-Rural Divide: The urban-rural gap in internet usage is a common issue in South Asia, but Bangladesh’s divide is particularly stark (as discussed, 36% vs 71% usage). By comparison, in India urban penetration is around 70% vs rural 35% (a similar ratio to Bangladesh). Sri Lanka, being more compact, has a smaller rural gap, whereas Nepal also has a big disparity (Kathmandu Valley is well connected, far-flung mountain villages much less so). All these countries recognize that bridging the rural gap is the hardest part of reaching near-universal internet access. Bangladesh’s rural population (about 60% of total) is larger than Sri Lanka’s (which is only ~20% rural), making its challenge bigger. On the other hand, Bangladesh can learn from India’s massive rural programs (like BharatNet fiber-to-village project) and Nepal’s creative community networks to enhance its own rural connectivity drive.

Connection Speeds: When it comes to internet speed, Bangladesh has historically been behind some neighbors, but recent improvements have changed the picture. Mobile internet speeds in Bangladesh (average ~28 Mbps in late 2024) are now higher than in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, according to Speedtest Global Index newagebd.net newagebd.net. In November 2024, Bangladesh ranked 88th globally for mobile speed, while Pakistan was 97th and Sri Lanka 100th newagebd.net. This indicates Bangladesh’s 4G networks have improved possibly faster than those countries’ in the last year or two. India’s mobile speeds, however, are far ahead – India ranked 25th with about 100 Mbps average (thanks to early 5G adoption and abundant spectrum) newagebd.net. This creates a contrast: India’s users enjoy some of the world’s fastest mobile data at very low prices, an area where Bangladesh has not yet caught up. Fixed broadband speeds show a slightly different ranking. India again leads with a mean/median often above 60–70 Mbps nationwide en.wikipedia.org. Sri Lanka’s fixed broadband is comparatively low (~23 Mbps average en.wikipedia.org), as many rely on mobile or older ADSL. Nepal surprisingly had relatively good broadband in cities (over 50–70 Mbps in some reports en.wikipedia.org), possibly due to newer fiber ISPs in Kathmandu. Bangladesh’s ~50 Mbps median fixed speed sits in the middle. So regionally, Bangladesh is mid-tier in speed – not the slowest, but not the fastest. It has significantly closed the gap with some peers in mobile internet quality, a notable achievement.

Data Pricing: All South Asian countries benefit from cheap mobile data, but Bangladesh and India are standouts. Bangladesh’s average of $0.32/GB dhakatribune.com is only slightly higher than India’s ~$0.17 and actually a bit cheaper than Pakistan ($0.29) and on par with Nepal/Sri Lanka (around $0.20–0.25) dhakatribune.com. In global rankings, these countries occupy many of the top spots for affordability. This is a competitive advantage for the region – for example, Africans or Latin Americans pay many times more for data. However, one caveat is that low prices in Bangladesh/Pakistan come with lower ARPU for operators, which can constrain how much they invest in infrastructure. India’s solution was volume – extremely high data usage per user but at low cost – which is now happening in Bangladesh too (Bangladesh’s per-user data consumption has been rising as 4G expands and smartphones proliferate). In fixed broadband, regional pricing is harder to compare due to different package structures, but generally, Sri Lanka’s and India’s broadband can be more expensive than Bangladesh’s on a per-month basis, because Bangladesh’s unregulated myriad of ISPs lead to price undercutting in cities. One study found Bangladesh had one of the lowest entry-level broadband costs as a percent of GNI per capita among LDCs, indicating decent affordability.

Government Initiatives and Status: In terms of digital government and policy, Bangladesh has been a frontrunner among least developed countries, but comparing to neighbors:

• India has its Digital India program, which is quite comprehensive and backed by huge budgets (e.g., BharatNet aims to connect every village panchayat with fiber, much like Bangladesh’s goals). India also leads in local manufacturing of smartphones which helped bring costs down.
• Nepal has a newer Digital Nepal framework but is hampered by difficult geography.
• Sri Lanka had high literacy and earlier telecom liberalization, so it achieved some digital milestones sooner (e.g., nearly all government services online, very high literacy making digital literacy easier). However, Sri Lanka’s recent economic troubles have affected telecom investment (they’ve been slow in 5G adoption).
• Pakistan similarly has a Digital Pakistan policy but faces issues of low literacy and gender gap in internet use (which Bangladesh also has to some degree).

One area of note is 5G roll-out: Here, India is ahead (5G launched in 2022 and rapidly expanding), Sri Lanka had at least trial 5G networks but economic crisis delayed commercial launch, Nepal has tested 5G in limited capacity, Pakistan and Bangladesh both have had delays in launching. Bangladesh did start with Teletalk’s pilot 5G in 2021 en.prothomalo.com, but a broader roll-out is pending as spectrum auctions were delayed to 2023/2024 thedailystar.net. Pakistan as of 2025 also hasn’t launched 5G commercially. So Bangladesh and Pakistan are roughly on par in being a bit behind the curve on 5G, whereas India and (potentially) Sri Lanka are ahead. The Bangladeshi government’s ambition is to not fall too far behind – they want 5G for all by later in the decade, aligning with the Smart Bangladesh vision.

Below is a comparative snapshot of key internet metrics for Bangladesh and its neighbors:

Table 2: Internet Penetration and User Base – Bangladesh vs Neighbors (2024–25)

Sources: DataReportal Digital reports 2024–2025, national telecom regulators.

As the table shows, Bangladesh is behind India and Sri Lanka in percentage terms, but ahead of or comparable to Pakistan and Nepal. In absolute numbers of users, Bangladesh is second only to India in this group (owing to its large population). It’s worth noting that all these countries have seen rapid growth in users in the past 5 years, and Bangladesh actually added more new internet users (in millions) from 2019 to 2023 than many countries except India.

In cost and usage patterns, Bangladesh and its neighbors share the trend of mobile-centric internet use. South Asia as a whole has a lower fixed broadband uptake and relies more on mobile data than regions like East Asia or Europe. This means issues like spectrum management, tower sharing, and mobile network quality are common challenges. Culturally and linguistically, adoption of local language content (Bangla vs Hindi vs Sinhalese, etc.) can influence usage; Bangladesh has a rich array of Bangla digital content which has helped drive adoption among those not fluent in English (similar to India’s vernacular internet boom).

Regional cooperation is another angle: countries often learn from each other’s successes. For example, Bangladesh’s success in mobile financial services (bKash) was an example for others, while Bangladesh learned from India’s common service centers model when rolling out Union Digital Centers. There’s also an initiative for a South Asian regional network (a sort of digital Silk Road) where Bangladesh could become a transit hub connecting submarine cables to landlocked neighbors.

In summary, Bangladesh’s internet access progress is impressive but not unique – peers like India and Sri Lanka have achieved higher penetration and speeds in some cases, showing what is possible. At the same time, Bangladesh has outperformed some neighbors in affordability and recent speed improvements. The regional comparisons encourage Bangladesh to strive further: for instance, seeing India leap ahead in 5G and broadband fiber might push Bangladesh to accelerate its own deployments to stay competitive in the digital economy. Fortunately, Bangladesh’s policy trajectory and market trends indicate that it is on track to continue improving and could very well close the gap with (or even surpass) some neighbors in key metrics over the next decade, especially if the current momentum is maintained.

Future Outlook: 5G Rollout and Satellite Expansion

Looking ahead, the future of internet access in Bangladesh will be shaped by next-generation technologies (like 5G and satellites), sustained government initiative, and the maturation of its telecom industry. The overarching goal is clear: to build a fully connected “Smart Bangladesh” by the 2040s, where high-speed internet is as common and essential as utilities like electricity.

A major development on the horizon is the full rollout of 5G mobile networks. Bangladesh officially entered the 5G era in December 2021 when Teletalk launched pilot 5G service in select locations (e.g. parts of Dhaka and Tungipara) on a trial basis en.prothomalo.com en.prothomalo.com. This limited launch was symbolic (making Bangladesh one of the first 10 countries to test 5G, as officials touted en.prothomalo.com) and served as a showcase during Digital Bangladesh Day. The original plan was that after a spectrum auction in early 2022, the private operators would begin rolling out 5G by late 2022 or 2023 en.prothomalo.com. In practice, that timeline slipped due to delays in finalizing the 5G guidelines and spectrum pricing negotiations thedailystar.net en.prothomalo.com. The 5G spectrum auction eventually took place in 2022 and 2023, with operators acquiring bands in the 2.3 GHz, 2.6 GHz, and 3.5 GHz ranges. As of mid-2025, the private telcos have done 5G trials (for example, Grameenphone and Robi tested 5G with Huawei/Nokia equipment in labs and a few demo sites) globaldata.com, but commercial 5G for consumers is not yet widely available. The expectation is that by 2025–2026, we will see the first phase of 5G rollout by the big operators in major cities and industrial zones.

Once deployed, 5G promises ultra-fast speeds and low latency – potentially 10-20 times faster than 4G in real-world performance en.prothomalo.com. This will enable new applications like HD video streaming on mobile, AR/VR experiences, and advanced IoT deployments (smart traffic systems, connected factories). For Bangladesh, one immediate use of 5G could be in Fixed Wireless Access, providing fiber-like broadband to homes via 5G routers (this is already being tested with 4G; 5G will make it much faster). 5G can also bolster rural coverage if operators use low bands for wider reach, though initial deployments will likely focus on dense areas. The government has stressed that 5G is a pillar of the Smart Bangladesh vision – envisioning uses in smart cities, smart grids, telemedicine, and digital education en.prothomalo.com. In preparation, the government upgraded backhaul (as noted, projects to raise upazila link capacity to 100 Gbps by fiber) and is encouraging development of 5G use cases via hackathons and university programs. By the late 2020s, we can anticipate Bangladesh having a considerable 5G footprint, at least in all city corporations and highways, if not nationwide. Importantly, as 5G comes in, older tech will phase out – one might see 3G networks being retired to refarm spectrum for 4G/5G, which has already happened in some countries. This will simplify network management and improve average speeds for users.

On the satellite internet front, the future looks equally promising. With Starlink’s launch imminent in 2025, Bangladesh could witness a new segment of connectivity flourishing. In the short term (next 1-2 years), Starlink will likely roll out service packages, possibly targeting enterprise and government clients first. We might see Starlink connections in remote schools, research centers (like in the Sundarbans or Hill Tracts), or for disaster response teams. If Starlink’s global trend holds, there may also be early-adopter tech enthusiasts and businesses in cities that take it up as a backup connection (especially if their terrestrial internet is unreliable). The government’s welcoming stance – evidenced by quick licensing – suggests they might also explore direct partnerships with Starlink for public sector use. For instance, connecting coastal cyclone shelters with Starlink to ensure communication during cyclones, or outfitting the navy/coast guard in the Bay of Bengal with satellite links.

Additionally, Bangladesh’s policies allow other players; one could foresee OneWeb or even Amazon’s Kuiper (in the future) seeking licenses if the market seems profitable. OneWeb could partner with Banglalink’s parent (Veon) or Robi’s parent (Axiata) to distribute its service in Bangladesh, for example. Competition in satellite broadband could help bring down prices over time. The five-year license validity for NGSO operators jagonews24.com means BTRC will review performance and possibly add more licensees in future rounds.

In tandem, Bangladesh will continue leveraging its own satellite capabilities. By around 2028, Bangabandhu-2 satellite may be launched (the Prime Minister has already instructed to expedite it dhakatribune.com). If Bangabandhu-2 is aimed at communications/broadband, it could provide dedicated capacity for Bangladesh’s needs (for example, ensuring government offices in all 64 districts have a backup satellite internet link, or providing connectivity to remote islands like St. Martin’s where laying cable is impractical). This could complement LEO services: LEOs provide high bandwidth with some complexity (user terminals etc.), whereas a geostationary like Bangabandhu-2 could broadcast, say, educational content or support VSATs for banks and businesses.

Continued government initiatives will strongly influence the future. Projects under “Smart Bangladesh” will roll out – such as nationwide 5G coverage by a certain year (perhaps 90% population coverage by 2030 as a target), or full fiber connectivity to all Union Parishads. The government also aims to improve digital literacy – by 2041, they envision a generation of “smart citizens” comfortable with technology. So we can expect heavy investments in ICT training, coding in school curricula, and expanding devices in education (the “One Student One Laptop” kind of ideas might surface).

Bangladesh’s future internet ecosystem will likely see greater integration of services. The lines between telecommunications, IT services, and media will blur. Already, telcos are offering streaming services, and conversely, content providers might bundle connectivity (imagine an ISP that comes with free access to e-government portals with no data charges, etc.). By leveraging its young population and burgeoning tech startup scene, Bangladesh might also develop more homegrown apps and platforms that drive internet usage further (similar to how India has developed its own digital payment stack, or ride-sharing apps that got people to use mobile internet).

Regional and international collaboration could shape the future too. For instance, if a regional fiber network linking South Asia and Southeast Asia is built, Bangladesh could benefit from being a transit hub, which brings in revenue to fund local improvements. International tech companies may invest more – Google and Facebook have shown interest in undersea cables around Asia; Amazon has set up an edge location in Bangladesh in 2022 for its cloud (indicating future cloud infrastructure development locally). More such investments would improve local connectivity (e.g., content caching in Bangladesh to speed up services for users).

One must also consider the risks and uncertainties: The telecom industry globally is capital-intensive, and Bangladeshi operators need healthy finances to invest in 5G and beyond. Keeping the business viable (through sensible pricing, possibly consolidation if needed) is important – a price war that sinks operators’ profits too much could backfire by reducing funds for network expansion. Another factor is the global economy – Bangladesh is often reliant on imported equipment for networks; exchange rate fluctuations or supply chain issues (like the recent chip shortages) can affect the pace of technology adoption. The government’s role in maintaining a favorable climate (e.g. tax breaks for 5G gear, or local manufacturing of handsets to lower costs) will remain important.

Overall, the outlook is that Bangladesh will continue to make fast strides in internet access. By 2030, it’s plausible that internet penetration will be in the 80-90% range (comparable to today’s developed countries), largely through smartphones. 5G will be commonplace in cities and available in many rural areas via some form (maybe not ultra-high-band 5G, but mid-band or low-band for coverage). Satellite constellations will ensure even the remotest chars or hill villages have an option to connect. The digital divide should shrink considerably, as most schools and clinics will be connected. If today about 45% are online, that percentage will grow each year with the combined efforts of government and industry. The foundations are being laid now – through policies, licenses, and infrastructure projects – for a fully connected Bangladesh where the internet truly reaches “Wi-Fi, wires, and the sky” to every person. The challenges on the way are real, but the trajectory and commitment suggest that the country is well on its path to achieving the full picture of internet access that is fast, affordable, and ubiquitous.