Telecom networks sign up more users

The telecom sector saw good growth in the first half of the current year as both SIM and internet connection numbers grew remarkably.

About 65.16 lakh new SIMs were activated between January and June, which is a 135 percent increase from the same period last year. Currently, there are about 12.69 crore active SIMs.

New mobile internet connections grew 121 percent year-on-year in the first six months of 2015, taking the total number to 4.6 crore, according to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.

There are 4.84 crore active internet connections in Bangladesh as of June, the regulator said in its monthly report published on Monday.

Ziad Shatara, chief executive of Banglalink, attributed the growth to an increasing preference for 3G connections, as many people have started using tablets as well as phones.

Competition between the mobile operators is also intensifying, leading to greater efforts behind increasing sales, added Shatara, who is also the current chairman of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh.

Operators stepped up sales efforts by introducing new packages for voice and data, along with bundle offers that include attractive rates, industry insiders said.

Mobile operators also want to achieve maximum sales before the government imposes 'strict regulations' on SIM sales.

Grameenphone, the market leader, has 5.31 crore active mobile connections, while Banglalink comes in second with 3.22 crore subscribers, according to data from the BTRC. 

Third in the market is Robi with some 2.74 crore users, followed by Airtel with 87.43 lakh, Teletalk 42.16 lakh, and Citycell 11.87 lakh.

The overwhelming majority of internet connections in Bangladesh, some 4.69 crore out of 4.84 crore, are through mobile networks.