FIFA World Cup craze fuels internet subscriber growth

The ongoing FIFA World Cup appears to have given a strong boost to internet usage in Bangladesh, with industry insiders attributing a sharp rise in internet subscriptions to increased data consumption during the global football spectacle alongside some others aspects.

Latest data released by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) showed internet subscriptions increased by 50.8 lakh to 13.41 crore at the end of May from 12.89 crore in January, while active mobile subscribers rose by 28 lakh to 18.86 crore from 18.58 crore over the same period.

Industry insiders said internet traffic surged as millions of football fans streamed World Cup matches on mobile devices, while uninterrupted electricity supply helped sustain online activity.

They also cited increased digital communication during the Eid holidays, online activities related to the HSC examinations and fully withdrawn of the Taka 300 tax on mobile phone SIM cards, which they said encouraged new mobile connections.

Talking to BSS, Robi Head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Shahed Alam today said the ongoing FIFA World Cup, along with several other factors, contributed to higher data consumption, driving growth in internet traffic.

"Bangladesh witnessed the second-highest internet traffic in its history during the Argentina-Switzerland World Cup quarterfinal match," he said.

He also identified the complete withdrawal of the SIM tax as a key driver of subscriber growth and expressed hope that the industry would witness further growth from the measure in June and the coming months.

The BTRC statistics showed mobile internet remained the dominant mode of connectivity, accounting for nearly 89 percent of total internet subscriptions.

Of the 13.41 crore internet users recorded in May, 11.91 crore accessed the internet through mobile networks, while 1.49 crore used fixed broadband services provided by internet service providers (ISPs) and PSTN operators.

The data indicated that almost the entire increase in internet subscriptions came from mobile internet users, whose number rose from 11.42 crore in January to 11.91 crore in May, an increase of nearly 49 lakh users during the period.

In contrast, fixed broadband subscriptions remained almost unchanged at 1.47 crore between January and March before increasing to 1.49 crore in April and remaining at the same level through May.

The latest industry statistics also showed a temporary slowdown in February when total internet subscriptions declined to 12.82 crore as mobile internet users dropped to 11.35 crore. Growth resumed in March with mobile internet subscribers rising to 11.48 crore, before increasing further to 11.64 crore in April and 11.91 crore in May.

According to the BTRC data, the country's active mobile subscriber base also recovered during the January-May period after a prolonged decline that began after August 2025. Mobile subscriptions stood at 18.85 crore in August 2025 before falling steadily over the following months to 18.58 crore in January this year.

Grameenphone remained the country's largest mobile operator with 8.59 crore subscribers at the end of May, followed by Robi Axiata with 5.82 crore, Banglalink with 3.77 crore and state-owned Teletalk with 68.1 lakh subscribers.

Teletalk was the only operator to register a decline during the five-month period, with its subscriber base edging down from 68.3 lakh in January to 68.1 lakh in May.

Under the BTRC methodology, an active subscriber is a SIM card that has been used for at least one voice call, SMS or internet session during the preceding 90 days.