5G goes live, but with few phones to connect

Bangladesh's long-awaited 5G rollout began this week, but a lack of compatible handsets means the next-generation network is unlikely to see mass adoption anytime soon.

On September 1, 2025, the country's top two operators, Robi Axiata and Grameenphone, launched 5G services on a limited scale across select metropolitan areas, marking a major milestone in the telecom sector.

Yet, industry insiders warn that the benefits of 5G will be constrained by the country's severe shortage of devices able to use it.

According to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) data, local plants produced only 1.70 lakh 5G-enabled handsets in the first seven months of this year, accounting for just 1.29 percent of total handset output.

"The supply chain is gradually shifting towards 5G, but the grey market is undermining local production," said Rizwanul Haque, vice-president of Mobile Phone Industry Owners' Association

By contrast, 62.28 percent of production, or nearly 82 lakh units, were feature phones. Another 36.65 percent, or over 48 lakh units, were 4G smartphones.

The figures show the structural challenge Bangladesh faces for 5G adoption. With 2G and 4G dominating the country's handset ecosystem, 5G penetration will grow slowly, regardless of network availability.

According to the BTRC, currently, about 62 percent of devices in use across the country are smartphones, mostly 4G-enabled. Only 6.6 percent are capable of connecting to 5G networks, according to industry estimates.

Imported and expatriate-gifted handsets make up around 40 percent of the smartphone market, many of them high-end and 5G-ready, but a substantial share is refurbished models.

Robi Axiata, the pioneer in 5G rollout and a leader in the 4G market, says adoption will be gradual.

"In 200 areas, 5G penetration among devices is already 12–15 percent, with 120 areas reaching nearly 20 percent penetration. Our initial focus will be rolling out 5G to these areas. And a positive trend is that users who currently use 4G are most likely to migrate to 5G," said Shahed Alam, Robi's chief corporate and regulatory affairs officer.

"Currently, most imported and gifted handsets from abroad that get registered on our network work well on 5G," Alam said.

According to Robi estimates, it will take five to seven years for 5G adoption to reach current 4G levels, as economic factors and device affordability remain key hurdles.

Local manufacturers are also struggling to catch up. Rizwanul Haque, vice-president of the Mobile Phone Industry Owners' Association of Bangladesh and CEO of Ismartu Technology BD, said only 15 percent of new smartphones in the country are currently 5G-compatible.

He said the share of 5G-enabled phones will increase if compared only to the smartphone segment instead of overall handset production.

"The supply chain is gradually shifting towards 5G, but the grey market is undermining local production," Haque said. "If illicit imports are curtailed, local manufacturers will be better placed to meet the growing demand."

Haque, who is also CEO of Ismartu Technology BD, which manufactures Tecno devices, said Tecno plans to launch three 5G models soon.