Intriguing case of decline in internet subscription

The digital era, characterised by unprecedented connectivity, has reshaped communication, commerce, education and daily life. As more and more services go online, internet access is no longer a matter of convenience but a basic necessity. In fact, its importance is so widely recognised that the United Nations and several countries now recognise the right to access the internet as a fundamental human right. In Bangladesh too, digitalisation has been a central theme of national branding for well over one and a half decades. Clearly, there is an unreserved national consensus across all political hues on digital transformation. No dissenting voice is heard so far as the concept of digitalisation goes. So, the general expectation is for the optimum utilisation of technology and a steady rise in internet penetration. However, a recent report in The Financial Express, citing data from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), presents an intriguing anomaly.

Over the past four months, the country witnessed the number of total internet users fall sharply to 131.49 million in October 2025, down from 135.99 million recorded in July. This represents a striking drop of over 4.5 million users in a remarkably short period. A closer look reveals that mobile internet users account for virtually the entire contraction, dropping from 121.53 million in July to 116.87 million in October, while fixed broadband subscriptions remained steady. This sharp decline in mobile internet subscriptions points to a weakening demand for mobile data services, even though telecom operators continue to expand networks and offer an array of data packages.

Industry analysts attribute the slowdown to a combination of factors including persistent economic pressures reducing consumers' ability to purchase smartphones or maintain regular data usage; rising costs of mobile internet prompted by adjustments in tariff structures; and the rollout of stricter SIM verification rules that have curtailed irregular or duplicate SIM ownership. The reduction in multi-SIM usage - once common among users seeking network-specific benefits - has also contributed to the contraction.  In addition, some observers note a gradual behavioural shift, with households increasingly opting for shared broadband connections.

The interim government has undertaken several measures, including reduction of bandwidth prices at two stages of the supply chain, to make internet services more affordable. Following these reforms, the Chief Adviser's Special Assistant for ICT Division argued a few months ago that there was no logical reason or any excuse left for private mobile operators not to lower their internet charges. However, mobile operators are yet to reduce the prices of their data packages and are therefore not passing on the benefits of this crucial government policy to consumers. Instead, they appear to be using the reduced bandwidth costs merely to widen their profit margins. Thus, the high cost of mobile data at a time of severe economic constraints could well be a major reason behind the decline in mobile internet subscriptions. It is also worth noting that roughly 46 per cent of Bangladesh's population still relies on feature or button phones, leaving a large segment deprived of the benefits of various government digital initiatives due to their lack of internet connectivity. Had mobile data been more affordable, many of the feature phone users might have been able to access online services and integrate comprehensively into the country's digital transformation.