Bangladesh’s four mobile network operators have secured another six months to continue sharing 3,704 telecom tower sites directly with one another, as the telecom regulator delayed the final phase of a sector-wide transition to the new tower-sharing system involving independent infrastructure companies.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) recently approved the extension after reviewing an application from the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB), which represents Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and Teletalk.
The bilateral tower-sharing agreements had already been extended twice and expired on June 30, 2026.
The operators sought another extension instead of immediately shifting the remaining sites to the mandatory tripartite tower-sharing model, arguing that the existing arrangement is more cost-effective and less disruptive to network operations.
The decision means the operators can continue sharing only the existing 3,704 base transceiver station (BTS) tower sites under bilateral agreements for another six months. They cannot include any additional sites under the arrangement during the extension period.
The approval temporarily postpones the final stage of a regulatory reform that began in 2018 when BTRC licensed independent Tower Companies, or TowerCos, to own, manage and lease telecom towers.
Before the TowerCo regime, mobile operators commonly shared towers directly with one another through bilateral agreements. Under this system, one operator allowed another operator to install telecom equipment on its tower, helping both companies reduce infrastructure costs, avoid building duplicate towers and expand network coverage more efficiently.
To replace that arrangement, BTRC introduced tower-sharing guidelines and, in 2021, directed operators to migrate to a tripartite model. Under the new system, two operators no longer share towers directly. Instead, both lease space on the same tower through a licensed TowerCo, which acts as the intermediary responsible for managing the shared infrastructure.
Although most tower-sharing arrangements have already migrated to the new framework, the transition remains unfinished.
According to commission documents, Bangladesh’s four mobile operators collectively own 21,319 telecom towers. Grameenphone owns 11,748 towers, Robi 3,912, Teletalk 3,469 and Banglalink 2,280.
Of the existing network, 3,704 BTS tower-sharing arrangements still operate under bilateral agreements. Grameenphone is involved in 2,235 of those arrangements, Banglalink in 826 and Robi in 643, while Teletalk has no bilateral tower-sharing sites.
By comparison, operators have already established 41,079 tower-sharing connections under the tripartite model,
indicating that most of the industry’s migration has already been completed.
In its application, AMTOB argued that the remaining bilateral arrangements should be retained because the tripartite model has not yet delivered sufficient commercial or operational benefits.
According to the commission minutes, the operators said TowerCos have not provided visible value addition despite acting as intermediaries. They argued that the additional fees paid to TowerCos increase the cost of operating mobile networks without improving service quality, ultimately pushing up the cost of telecom services and placing an unnecessary financial burden on consumers.
The operators also said bilateral sharing enables them to deliver the same level of service at lower cost. They warned that abruptly migrating the remaining 3,704 active sites to the new model could create operational risks because those sites continue to rely on the existing bilateral arrangements.
After reviewing the operators’ arguments, previous extensions and the tower-sharing guidelines, BTRC concluded that another temporary extension was justified.
However, the regulator made clear that the decision does not change its long-term policy of shifting all tower sharing to the tripartite model.
Under the commission’s decision, operators must continue complying with all applicable laws, regulations and BTRC directives during the extension period. The approval applies only to the existing 3,704 BTS tower-sharing arrangements and does not permit any new bilateral tower-sharing agreements.
The commission also expects the operators to prepare a rollback plan for migrating the remaining bilateral sites to the tripartite framework in line with the tower-sharing guidelines, signalling that the latest extension is intended to facilitate an orderly transition rather than permanently retain the old system.
