Robi Axiata PLC has completed the modernisation of more than 4,800 mobile network sites across greater Dhaka, including Dhaka, Gazipur, Savar, Manikganj and Narayanganj, improving network performance as Bangladesh moves towards a data-driven telecom ecosystem and the regulator eyes phasing out 2G services around 2029.
The 96-day upgrade has reduced call drops by 20 per cent, tripled indoor coverage across greater Dhaka and Gazipur and improved customer experience by up to 125 per cent in different clusters, according to Robi.
The announcement came at an event at Robi’s corporate office in Tejgaon on Wednesday, attended by Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam, Prime Minister’s Adviser Rehan Asif Asad, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Major General (Retd) Emdad-Ul-Bari and Robi CEO Ziad Shatara.
The project involved upgrading more than 4,800 sites with 4G/5G-ready equipment, Robi said.
The new equipment has also reduced electricity consumption per GB of data by around 20 per cent.
Robi Chief Technology Officer Perihane Elhelmy Ahmed Metaweh said around 800 engineers and site engineers, more than 100 team leaders and project managers and around 200 industry experts worked on the Dhaka modernisation project. At peak, more than 125 sites were put on air in a single day.
Robi CEO Ziad Shatara said 72 per cent of the company’s customers are already 4G or smartphone users. He said the network is 5G-ready and can support 5G services once handset penetration and regulatory requirements allow.
The company is also completing a similar modernisation programme in Chattogram and plans to strengthen its network in semi-urban areas, where data usage is growing rapidly.
Speaking at the event, BTRC Chairman Emdad-Ul-Bari said the regulator is targeting the sunset of 2G services “sometime in 2029”, but acknowledged that the transition would be challenging because around half of Bangladesh’s mobile users still use feature phones.
Rehan Asif Asad said the country has around 14 crore mobile subscribers, with roughly 50 per cent, or about 7 crore users, still using feature phones.
“That is not right in today’s world. That is something we have to change, and we have to change as fast as we can,” he said.
Asad said the government is working with local mobile phone manufacturers to make smartphones more affordable. According to him, manufacturers have developed a bill of materials for an Android-based, data-enabled smartphone that could potentially be produced for around $50–$60.
The government has also reduced duties and taxes on raw materials used in local mobile manufacturing, he said. Duties that previously stood at around 26–33 per cent have either been eliminated or reduced to around 2–5 per cent for relevant inputs.
Manufacturers have also sought Bangladesh Bank’s support to include mobile phones in EMI programmes and encourage private banks to offer instalment-based financing, he added.
The push for cheaper smartphones comes as mobile data demand rises. Robi Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer Mohammed Shahedul Alam said data consumption has increased by around 70 per cent since the company’s initial 4G investment, making another round of network investment necessary.
However, site availability remains a challenge. Alam said Robi still needs additional sites in some areas to improve network density and address remaining coverage and service-quality issues.
Faqir Mahbub Anam urged Robi to expand beyond major cities and improve services in villages and mountainous areas. He said the government wants the benefits of network investment to reach consumers outside urban centres as well.
The BTRC chairman said the definition of the digital divide has evolved from simply having no connection to having no internet and increasingly, having poor-quality internet. He called for greater public awareness about network quality and said a modernised network also requires modernised regulation.
Looking ahead, Asad urged telecom operators to consider bundling access to artificial intelligence platforms with mobile data packages. He said such services could create a new revenue opportunity for operators while giving students greater access to AI tools.
Robi said it has invested more than Tk9,331 crore in network expansion since its stock-market listing in 2020. During the period, its 4G sites increased from 13,173 to 19,646, while its spectrum holdings increased 3.4 times to 124 MHz.
In the second quarter of 2026 alone, Robi invested Tk721.6 crore, taking its 4G site count above 19,600 and expanding 4G population coverage to 98.98 per cent, according to the company.
