A rising wave of theft targeting mobile network infrastructure is disrupting services and increasing costs for operators, prompting them to seek stronger law enforcement support.
Around 16,000 metres of power cables, more than 2,000 batteries, 217 Base Transceiver Station (BTS) cards and over 500 Remote Radio Units (RRUs) from mobile tower sites were stolen in the past 20 months, the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) said in a letter to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) last week.
The industry body has sought urgent intervention from the regulator to prevent repeated thefts from network sites.
AMTOB said theft and vandalism of critical telecom equipment had increased significantly compared with previous years, affecting mobile network sites in Dhaka and surrounding areas, including Badda, Mohammadpur and Lalbagh, as well as Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Savar and Gazipur.
“Over the last couple of years, the theft cases related to power cables, batteries and other equipment from mobile network infrastructure have increased manifold, with adverse impacts on both customers and operators equally,” said Lt Col Mohammad Zulfikar (retd), secretary general of AMTOB.
Industry data showed a sharp rise in BTS card theft. Operators reported 170 BTS cards stolen between January and August 2026, more than three times the 47 units stolen during the whole of 2025.
Power cable theft also remained a major concern, with operators losing 7,964 metres in the first eight months of 2026, almost matching the 7,995 metres stolen throughout 2025.
However, theft of some equipment declined. Operators reported 194 RRUs stolen in January–August 2026, compared with 314 in 2025, while battery theft stood at 756 units, compared with 1,247 units last year.
Zulfikar told TIMES that the impact of the thefts extends beyond the value of stolen equipment.
“The challenge is that most of this equipment cannot be readily sourced from the local market, which significantly delays the replacement and repair process for restoration of network operation,” he said.
“As a result, overall downtime leads to service disruption for customers and revenue losses for operators – a burden that ultimately affects the entire ecosystem.”
The losses varied among operators over the 20-month period.
State-owned Teletalk reported the highest volume of power cable theft, with 14,191 metres stolen, including 7,442 metres in 2025 and 6,749 metres between January and August 2026. It also reported theft of 134 RRUs, 40 BTS cards and 1,245 batteries over the 20 months.
Grameenphone reported theft of 660 metres of power cables, 84 RRUs, 81 BTS cards and 150 batteries over the 20 months. Of these, 507 metres of power cables, 33 RRUs, 75 BTS cards and 27 batteries were stolen in January–August 2026, compared with 153 metres of power cables, 51 RRUs, six BTS cards and 123 batteries in 2025.
Robi Axiata reported theft of 628 metres of power cables, 201 RRUs, 58 BTS cards and 531 batteries over the period. Its losses included 417 metres of power cables, 44 RRUs, 48 BTS cards and 253 batteries in the first eight months of 2026, compared with 211 metres of power cables, 157 RRUs, 10 BTS cards and 278 batteries in 2025.
Banglalink reported theft of 480 metres of power cables, 89 RRUs, 38 BTS cards and 77 batteries during the 20 months. Of these, 291 metres of power cables, 41 RRUs, 29 BTS cards and 24 batteries were stolen in January–August 2026, compared with 189 metres of power cables, 48 RRUs, nine BTS cards and 53 batteries in 2025.
Tanveer Mohammad, chief corporate affairs officer of Grameenphone, said, “The incidents cause substantial financial losses and, more importantly, disrupt network services, affecting customers’ connectivity and overall experience.”
He urged law enforcement agencies to take urgent action against those involved and strengthen measures to protect telecom infrastructure.
AMTOB said theft-related outages have disrupted customer services, including emergency calls, business communication and access to essential digital services.
“Operators also face losses from dropped traffic, missed transactions and the cost of replacing specialised equipment,” it added.
The association said mobile operators have been investing in security measures to protect power cables, BTS cards, RRUs and battery systems, but repeated thefts continued.
AMTOB said it had engaged with local law enforcement agencies but had not seen expected improvement.
It requested BTRC to alert relevant authorities and strengthen investigations and enforcement to apprehend perpetrators.
The association also called on local communities to help protect telecom infrastructure that supports services used daily by millions of people.
