Mobile subscribers, internet users fall by 3.1m in Sept

There has been a continuous fall in the numbers of mobile network subscribers and data users in Bangladesh in recent months and the biggest blow came in September when the country lost around 3.1 million mobile SIM subscribers and Internet users.

According to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission's data, the number of mobile network subscribers in the country dropped to 181.43 million at the end of this September from 183.58 million a month ago.

During the same period, the number of Internet users fell by 0.94 million to 126.32 million, thanks to a negative growth in 1.38 million mobile Internet users and 0.44 million rise in fixed Internet users.

From the largest telecom operator to the smallest one – all have been in the rile of losing subscribers.

Industry insiders have attributed the decrease in number of mobile SIM subscribers and mobile Internet users to cost-cutting efforts by the people amid soaring inflation.

Market leader Grameenphone lost 1.2 million users in one month that took the number of its SIM subscribers down to 81.95 million at the end of September.

The operator claimed that the overall growth of the telco industry has slowed down due to supply shortage of GP SIMs in the market amid an embargo on its SIM sales.

"We believe the industry will be back to growth momentum once the ban is lifted, and customers will get connections from the most preferred telecom brand in the country. GP has been continuously improving the experience, which has been reflected in the latest BTRC findings and customers' demands," said Khairul Basher, head of Communication at Grameenphone.

Robi Axiata Limited, the second largest telecom network operator in the country, lost around 0.59 million users in September as its total SIM subscribers stood at 54.36 million at the end of the month.

A decrease in the number of multi SIM users is the main cause behind the subscriber loss, said officials of Robi.

"The quality subscriber acquisition drive led to the slight decline (0.3%) in our subscriber base compared to the last quarter. However, multi-simmers, who have several connections, seemed to have better focused on their preferred connections and, that is why average revenue from loyal users increased, which helped the total revenue grow too," said Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer of Robi Axiata Limited.

Third largest mobile operator Banglalink lost 0.42 million SIM users in September.

Meanwhile, state-owned operator Teletalk registered 0.06 million new subscribers in the given time.

On the other hand, the number of total Internet users fell to 126.32 million at the end of September from 127.26 million in August.
During the period, the number of mobile Internet users went down to 114.74 million from 116.12 million, while the number of fixed Internet users increased to 11.58 million from 11.14 million.

As part of their cost-cutting measures, people are trying to cut back on mobile data use, and are trying to increase dependency on broadband Internet – be it at home or workplace, said officials of Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh.