Dhaka, Nov 14, (V7N) – Bangladesh's internet market recorded significant expansion in the first nine months of 2026, adding 8.82 million subscriptions as growing mobile internet adoption and steady fixed broadband growth strengthened the country's digital connectivity landscape.
The total number of internet subscriptions reached 137.81 million in September, up from 128.99 million in January, according to the latest statistics of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).
Mobile internet accounted for the bulk of the expansion, adding 8.04 million subscriptions to reach 122.26 million in September from 114.22 million in January. The growth highlights the dominant role of mobile connectivity in extending internet access across the country.
The market's growth gathered momentum after an initial setback in February, when total internet subscriptions declined to 128.27 million from 128.99 million in January. Mobile internet subscriptions also fell to 113.50 million during the month before staging a sustained recovery in subsequent months.
Total internet subscriptions crossed 131 million in April, reaching 131.42 million, before climbing to 135.94 million in June and 137.66 million in August. The number further increased to 137.81 million in September, demonstrating continued expansion throughout the subsequent months.
While mobile internet remained the main growth engine, fixed broadband also made a consistent contribution to the expanding market. Subscriptions through Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) services increased by 780,000 to 15.55 million in September from 14.77 million in January. Unlike the fluctuations in mobile internet subscriptions during the early part of the year, fixed internet subscriptions maintained uninterrupted growth throughout the nine-month period.
The parallel expansion of mobile and fixed connectivity is significant for Bangladesh's evolving digital economy. While mobile internet provides a major channel for accessing online services, fixed broadband offers an additional connectivity platform for households, businesses and institutions. Together, these services provide an expanding foundation for digital financial services, mobile financial services (MFS), e-commerce, digital healthcare and online education.
The expansion of internet subscriptions has also coincided with growth in the overall mobile telecommunications market, where the four operators collectively added 5.59 million subscribers during January-September, taking their combined subscriber base to 191.39 million in September from 185.80 million in January.
Grameenphone and Robi Axiata accounted for the largest increases, adding 2.83 million and 1.99 million subscribers respectively during the period. Grameenphone's subscriber base rose to 87.16 million in September from 84.33 million in January, while Robi Axiata's increased to 59.23 million from 57.24 million.
Banglalink also showed signs of recovery, ending September with 38.07 million subscribers against 37.40 million in January. Its subscriber base had declined to 37.35 million in February but gradually recovered in the following months, reaching 37.71 million in May, 37.86 million in June, 37.95 million in August and 38.07 million in September. The operator's subscriber base had fallen from a peak of 44.73 million in May 2024 to 37.81 million in October 2025 before showing signs of recovery.
Teletalk also recorded a modest increase, with its subscriber base rising to 6.93 million in September from 6.83 million in January.
The simultaneous expansion of internet and mobile subscriptions reflects the growing scale of Bangladesh's telecommunications market, with mobile connectivity continuing to drive internet adoption and fixed broadband steadily strengthening the country's connectivity base. Adding 8.82 million internet subscriptions in nine months marks a significant expansion of the market and reinforces the importance of telecommunications infrastructure in supporting Bangladesh's wider digital transformation.
end/tec/rh/
