The number of mobile network subscribers in Bangladesh rose for three consecutive months to reach an all-time high in April while internet usage slipped that same month.
Local network operators collectively added about 4.6 lakh customers in April from that a month earlier to reach 183.3 crore subscribers.
On a year-on-year basis, the number of mobile subscribers rose by about 5.28 per cent that month, according to recent data from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).
Grameenphone, the country’s top operator, posted a strong performance in that period while third-placed Banglalink continued its customer acquisition to help boost the number of mobile subscribers.
Grameenphone alone added about 3.5 lakh customers to its total in the months leading up to April.
The network providers’ total number of subscribers jumped by about 5.59 per cent year-on-year to 8.42 crore in April this year compared to 8.05 crore during the same month in 2021.
Banglalink added 2 lakh customers in December, solidifying its 12-month winning streak in terms of customer acquisition.
Banglalink grew almost 6 per cent year-on-year in April to take its number of customers to 3.82 crore.
Taimur Rahman, chief corporate and regulatory affairs officer of Banglalink, credited the operator’s network expansion drive in recent months for their continued customer acquisition.
“We have rolled out over 3,000 network sites to take our overall Base Transceiver Station (BTS) to 13,000, which ensures better data service for our customers,” he said.
Rahman went on to say that many Banglalink customers were previously unable to secure proper network connections when travelling during Eid festivals or other occasions.
“But now this problem has been solved thanks to our investment in solidifying the network,” he added.
On the other hand, Robi Axiata and Teletalk lost 70,000 and 20,000 customers respectively in April from that a month earlier.
On a year-on-year basis, Robi Axiata, the second-largest operator with more than 5 crore subscribers as of September last year, grew by 4.70 per cent in April to reach 5.40 crore customers.
State-owned Teletalk, which lags behind all private operators by a big margin, added about 11 lakh customers in the past 12 months till April.
Its subscriber base grew by 19 per cent year-on-year in April to 68 lakh.
Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar attributed the growth to Teletalk’s network expansion and infrastructural development through an ongoing project.
“In one year, by the time Teletalk completes its network expansion, the operator’s service will improve significantly and number of customers will increase accordingly,” Jabbar recently told The Daily Star.
INTERNET USAGE DROPS
The number of internet subscribers dropped by 6.5 lakh in April from that a month earlier as telecom operators lost data customers while the growth of broadband users stalled. As such, the total number of internet users now stands at 12.42 crore.
Of the 6.5 lakh customers lost, all were by telecom operators, leaving the number of mobile internet subscribers at 11.32 crore as of April.
However, mobile internet subscribers grew 7.19 per cent year-on-year in April while the number of broadband users remained the same as it was in March at 1.09 crore.
Broadband internet subscribers grew 12 per cent in April. During pandemic, internet usage surged to new heights as peoples’ reliance on the internet soared.
– With The Daily Star input
