Mobile internet subscriptions fall to two-year low

Mobile internet subscriptions in Bangladesh declined to their lowest level in more than two years in November 2025, highlighting a growing disconnect between headline mobile connectivity and actual data usage amid economic stress and regulatory tightening.

Official data from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission show that the number of mobile internet users fell to 115.27 million in November, down from 116.87 million in October and 119.70 million in September.

This is the lowest level since May 2023 when mobile internet subscriptions stood at 115.57 million.

As a result of the continued slide, total internet subscribers, including mobile and fixed connections, dropped to 129.89 million in November from 131.49 million a month earlier.

Fixed broadband and PSTN users remained unchanged at 14.62 million, confirming that the entire decline came from the mobile segment.

The latest figures extend a downward trend that began after mobile internet subscriptions peaked at 129.17 million in June 2024.

Since then, the market has seen a steady erosion through late 2024 and throughout 2025, with particularly sharp falls in the second half of the year.

By July 2025, mobile internet users had already slipped to 121.53 million, before declining further in the following months.

By contrast, the overall mobile subscriber base has remained largely intact, suggesting that users are keeping their SIM cards active but reducing or abandoning mobile data usage.

Total mobile subscribers stood at 187.06 million in November 2025, only slightly lower than 187.46 million in October and 187.97 million in September.

Grameenphone remained the largest operator with 85.01 million subscribers, followed by Robi Axiata with 57.57 million, Banglalink with 37.70 million, and state-owned Teletalk with 6.78 million.

The divergence between stable SIM ownership and falling mobile internet usage reflects pressures that have been building for months.

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