Internet users in country 59.2 percent, mobile subscribers crossed 19 crore

Although the use of internet and mobile phones has increased in Bangladesh, the rate of internet use at the family level has decreased. The rate of internet use among people aged five years or more has increased and stood at 59.2 percent. On the other hand, the number of mobile subscribers in the country has crossed 19 crore. However the rate of computer use still remains below 12 percent.

This picture has been obtained from the report of the fourth quarter of the ‘ICT Use and Application Survey 2025-26’ of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and the information published by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

According to the information of the BBS, the rate of internet use among people aged five years or more was 59.2 percent in the April to June period of 2026. This rate was 55 percent in the same period of the previous year. That is, internet use at the individual level has increased by 4.2 percentage points in the span of one year.

In the same period the rate of mobile phone use has increased from 88.2 percent to 89.6 percent. The rate of smartphone use has also increased from 74.8 percent to 75.1 percent.

Although the rate of internet use at the individual level has increased, the rate of internet connection of the family has decreased. It has been seen in the survey of the BBS that 58.2 percent of the families had internet connection in the April-June quarter of the 2025-26 fiscal year. This rate was 59.7 percent in the same period of the previous year. That is, although internet use has increased at the personal level, there has been no progress in getting connection by sitting at home.

The use and availability of mobile phones are of course much higher. According to the survey, about 99 percent of the families of the country have the opportunity to use mobile phones. However the ownership of own mobile phone and the rate of mobile phone use are not the same. Among people aged five years or more 89.6 percent use mobile phones, whereas 65.6 percent have their own phone. This rate was 64.2 percent in the previous year. That is, many use the phone of other members of the family.

According to the information of the BTRC, internet subscribers in the country have increased by 86 lakh 70 thousand from January to August of 2026. In January the total internet subscribers were 12 crore 89 lakh 90 thousand, which reached 13 crore 76 lakh 60 thousand in August. In this period the rate of internet use has increased from 73.28 percent to 77.89 percent.

In August the mobile internet subscribers were 12 crore 22 lakh 60 thousand. On the other hand, the number of broadband connection subscribers through the internet service provider (ISP) and the public switched telephone network (PSTN) has increased and stood at 1 crore 54 lakh.

Although the use of the fourth generation (4G) has increased in mobile internet, the third generation (3G) subscribers have decreased. In January the 4G subscribers were 11 crore 34 lakh 90 thousand, which increased to 12 crore 27 lakh 10 thousand in August. In the same period the 3G subscribers have come down from 21 lakh 20 thousand to 10 lakh 50 thousand. The rate of mobile broadband use combining 3G and 4G has increased from 57.70 percent to 61.94 percent.

In the calculation of the BTRC, the total mobile subscribers in the country in August were 19 crore 10 lakh 90 thousand. This number was 18 crore 58 lakh in January. That is, the mobile subscribers have increased by 52 lakh 90 thousand in eight months. In the same period the combined tele-density of voice and internet service has increased from 105.71 percent to 108.27 percent.

Although the use of internet and smartphones has increased, the use of computers is increasing at a slow pace. It has been seen in the survey of the BBS that the rate of computer use among people aged five years or more has increased from 11.6 percent to 11.8 percent. On the other hand, the rate of families that have computers has decreased from 9.2 percent to 9.1 percent. That is, although computer use has slightly increased at the personal level, the availability of computers in the family has decreased.

The use of landline telephones is also decreasing. In the latest survey the information of only 0.7 percent of the families having fixed-line telephones has been found. This rate was 0.9 percent in the same period of the previous year.

The survey is being conducted under the project of ‘District-based ICT Access and Use Measurement at the Individual and Family Level’ of the BBS. Information is collected in this through the direct interview method with computer assistance. An initiative has been taken for the first time this time to prepare district-based estimates.

Information is collected from 2,568 sample areas of the country in each quarter. As 24 families are included in each area, a total of 61,632 families come under the survey in each quarter. This number stands at 2 lakh 46 thousand 528 families in a year.

According to the information of the BBS, the survey of the 2025-26 fiscal year is the continuous second phase of the survey of the previous fiscal year. The results of this survey will be used in formulating ICT-related policies, supplying information to the International Telecommunication Union and evaluating the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals. 22 indicators for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals are included in this.