Industry readiness key to full-scale 5G rollout in Bangladesh | Special Stories

DHAKA, June 6, 2026 (BSS) - Bangladesh has expanded limited-scale 5G services to more than 440 locations nationwide and is strengthening the infrastructure for wider deployment, but full-scale rollout will depend on the readiness of key sectors including agriculture, healthcare, education and manufacturing. Activities are underway to identify suitable sectors for utilizing the 5G ecosystem in line with Bangladesh's socio-economic realities, as the government pushes ahead with network expansion, spectrum planning, transmission upgrades and international bandwidth enhancement, said Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam. While commercial-scale 5G adoption remains a work in progress, limited-scale services have already been introduced in residential and industrial areas and other important locations across the country, he said. He added that around 40 locations in Dhaka, including residential neighbourhoods, the airport, railway stations and restaurants, are now under 5G coverage. Beyond the capital, more than 400 important locations in Cox's Bazar, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Barishal, Khulna and Sylhet have also been brought under limited-scale 5G services, said the minister while replying in written answer at the last session of the parliament. He said that although network deployment is progressing, deriving the full benefits of 5G technology requires preparedness across multiple sectors that are expected to use the technology. In this regard, efforts are continuing to determine which industries are best suited for adoption of the 5G ecosystem in the Bangladesh context. A major component of the country's readiness strategy is the strengthening of transmission infrastructure. Under the "Development of BTCL Optical Fiber Transmission Network for 5G Enablement" project, all 64 districts and their respective upazilas are being connected through Backup Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) links to ensure uninterrupted transmission services. At the same time, ASON (Automatically Switched Optical Network)-enabled DWDM equipment is being installed to facilitate high-speed bandwidth distribution from district to district and district to upazila, while backup links are also being established in the Dhaka metropolitan area. According to the minister, around 79 percent of the optical fiber and equipment installation work has already been completed. The project is expected to be completed by December 31, 2026, providing a stronger transmission backbone for future 5G expansion. The government has also taken a number of regulatory measures to support the technology's rollout. Mobile operators have already been granted technology-neutral licences, while spectrum has been allocated from the 2.3 GHz and 2.6 GHz bands for 5G deployment. Describing spectrum availability as essential for both 5G expansion and implementation of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), the minister said the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has formulated a spectrum roadmap. Under the roadmap, new spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band is planned to be released in 2027 to facilitate further expansion of 5G services. Efforts are also underway to improve affordability and service quality. The government has introduced customer-friendly internet tariffs and revised internet prices from February 18, 2026. To ensure quality standards, Grade of Service (GoS) benchmarks have been introduced, incorporating Quality of Service and Experience requirements along with penalty provisions. In rural and underserved regions, the state-owned operator Teletalk is implementing two major projects aimed at expanding network coverage and preparing for future 5G services. The projects cover 3,420 sites where high-speed 4G equipment will be installed. The minister said Teletalk has already introduced Voice over WiFi (VoWiFi), Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and pilot 5G services at four sites for a limited number of users, while initiatives have been taken to accelerate completion of the ongoing projects. Looking ahead, the government is planning two additional projects with foreign assistance to boost data speeds and expand coverage. The initiatives include installation of 2,000 new 4G sites and 1,600 5G-enabled sites, which are expected to improve internet coverage and service quality nationwide. Alongside terrestrial infrastructure, international connectivity is also being strengthened to support future demand generated by 5G services. Bangladesh Submarine Cable PLC (BSCPLC) is currently providing international bandwidth through the SEA-ME-WE 4 and SEA-ME-WE 5 submarine cable systems. The two systems have a combined capacity of around 7,220 Gbps, of which approximately 4,100 Gbps is currently being supplied domestically while maintaining network reliability of 99.999 percent. To accommodate future bandwidth requirements, work is progressing on the country's third submarine cable under the SEA-ME-WE-6 consortium. Once completed by the end of the current year, the project is expected to add 30,000 Gbps of additional bandwidth, increasing Bangladesh's total international bandwidth capacity to an estimated 38,000 Gbps. According to the minister, the expanded international bandwidth capacity will be capable of meeting the requirements of mobile operators as they move toward broader deployment of 5G services across the country. Taken together, the government's ongoing efforts indicate that Bangladesh is moving beyond limited trials and pilot deployments toward building the foundations for wider 5G adoption. However, according to the minister, the transition to full-scale 5G services will depend not only on network expansion and spectrum availability but also on the readiness of key industries to effectively utilize the technology.