Accra:Mobile phones continue to be the primary gateway to digital services in Bangladesh, as both individual internet use and subscriber numbers show significant growth, according to official statistics.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) highlight this expansion in digital services usage. Internet use among people aged five and above increased from 55 percent to 59.2 percent between April and June 2026. During the same period, mobile phone usage rose from 88.2 percent to 89.6 percent. Smartphone penetration also saw a slight rise to 75.1 percent.
At the household level, mobile phone access remained virtually universal at 99 percent, with 98.2 percent of households relying solely on mobile phones. The BTRC reported that total internet subscribers reached 137.66 million in August 2026, up from 128.99 million in January, with internet penetration increasing to 77.89 percent.
The mobile internet sector experienced a notable growth, gaining 8.04 million subscribers, reaching 122.26 million. Broadband subscribers through ISP and PSTN connections increased to 15.40 million. The transition from 3G to 4G networks is evident, as 4G subscribers rose to 122.71 million, while 3G subscribers fell significantly.
The overall mobile subscriber base expanded to 191.09 million in August, up by 5.29 million from January. However, the BBS survey points out a discrepancy between digital access and device ownership, with 89.6 percent of people using mobile phones but only 65.6 percent owning one.
Despite the rise in digital access, computer usage did not see a corresponding increase. Individual computer use rose only slightly to 11.8 percent, while household computer ownership dropped to 9.1 percent. Household internet access also decreased despite individual internet use increasing.
Fixed-line communication continued to decline, with only 0.7 percent of households reporting a fixed-line telephone. The BBS conducts its survey under the "Measuring District-wise ICT Access and Use at Individual and Household Level" project, gathering data quarterly from 2,568 sample areas to support ICT policymaking and reporting to the International Telecommunication Union.