GP, Banglalink lead as Teletalk trails in QoS

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has published its detailed July 2026 Quality of Service (QoS) assessment of the country’s cellular mobile networks, revealing significant differences in network performance among the four operators.

For the first time in Bangladesh’s history, operator-submitted data were independently reviewed, verified and reconciled before being assessed at national, district and upazila levels.

The report shows intense competition among Grameenphone, Banglalink and Robi in voice and 4G data performance, with Banglalink and Grameenphone maintaining a narrow lead in several key areas. State-owned Teletalk, meanwhile, faced the most serious assessment difficulties because of missing data, incomplete raw/binary files and the absence of verifiable VoLTE information.

 Banglalink leads key data indicators 

Banglalink recorded the highest 4G average download speed among the private operators at 8.6070 Mbps. It also recorded the lowest 4G data-session drop rate at 0.0911%.

The operator achieved a 99.9208% VoLTE call setup success rate, the highest among the three private operators.

At district level, Banglalink achieved full compliance across all 64 districts for the major KPIs assessed by the regulator.

At upazila level, Banglalink achieved full compliance in all 538 upazilas where it had network coverage for call-drop, call-setup and 4G RRC indicators. However, its network was unavailable in six remote upazilas, including Ruma and Thanchi in Bandarban and Baghaichhari, Barkal and Juraichhari in Rangamati.

 Grameenphone maintains strong nationwide position 

Grameenphone recorded an average 4G download speed of 8.2264 Mbps, placing it behind Banglalink among the private operators.

The country’s largest operator achieved full compliance across all 64 districts for the major KPIs.

At upazila level, Grameenphone met the 2G call-drop target in 537 of 539 upazilas and the call-setup target in 538. However, its service was unavailable in five remote upazilas, while only 2G service was available in one upazila.

The report also noted somewhat higher abnormal combined voice call-release rates in three upazilas.

 Robi leads voice performance 

Robi recorded the lowest 2G call-drop rate nationally at 0.2405%. Its combined voice drop rate was also the lowest among the private operators at 0.2115%.

However, its average 4G download speed of 6.8477 Mbps was significantly below Banglalink and Grameenphone.

At district level, Robi met the 2G call-setup target in 61 of 64 districts and failed in three. It remained compliant with the other major indicators across all districts.

At upazila level, Robi operated across 544 upazilas and maintained the required call-drop and RRC standards, but failed to meet the 2G call-setup target in 24 upazilas, leaving 520 compliant.

The report also contains a specific observation concerning Robi’s data. The BTRC could not verify raw binary data from around 41,819 Robi cells because of the regulator’s seven-day data-retention period. The commission therefore based its assessment on Robi’s processed data. BTRC said it would begin verifying the data daily from the following month.

 Teletalk faces major compliance problems 

State-owned Teletalk recorded the weakest overall position in the assessment.

Although Teletalk declared a national 4G average download speed of 11.2 Mbps—higher than the other three operators—the figure could not be independently verified through BTRC’s monitoring system because of incomplete raw/binary files.

As a result, the commission could not determine verified monitoring values for several important indicators.

Teletalk’s declared national 4G RRC connection success rate was 98.4904%, below the BTRC threshold of 99%. At district level, only 12 of 64 districts met the RRC target, while 52 failed.

The situation was also weak at upazila level. Of 542 upazilas, 92 failed the 2G call-drop target. For 4G RRC success, Teletalk failed to meet the required standard in 401 of 537 assessed upazilas, leaving only 136 compliant.

The report also found that Teletalk’s 4G service was completely unavailable in Kulaura of Moulvibazar, Atwari of Panchagarh, parts of Bhola and Bhedarganj of Shariatpur.

No operational or verifiable VoLTE data were available for Teletalk in the assessment.

 District and upazila gaps emerge 

At district level, Banglalink and Grameenphone recorded the strongest performance, achieving full compliance across all 64 districts for the principal 2G voice, 4G speed, RRC and combined-voice indicators.

Robi met the 2G call-setup target in 61 districts, while Teletalk was compliant in only 58 districts for 2G call drop and just 12 districts for 4G RRC success.

The geographic performance gap became more pronounced at upazila level. While some remote areas lacked service from Banglalink and Grameenphone, the operators generally demonstrated strong KPI compliance where their networks were available.

Robi’s network coverage was broader but its 2G call-setup performance failed to meet the target in 24 upazilas.

Teletalk showed the largest weakness in 4G RRC performance, failing in 401 of 537 assessed upazilas.

 First independent verification changes QoS monitoring 

BTRC said previous QoS assessments were largely based on unverified data submitted by operators. The July assessment marks the first time the regulator combined drive testing and system verification to identify weak network areas at national, district and upazila levels.

The commission has instructed operators to conduct urgent drive tests and optimise their networks in areas identified as weak in the report.

BTRC also said it would introduce greater transparency in raw-data management and make future QoS assessments more rigorous.

The July assessment therefore represents more than a comparative ranking of operator-reported service quality. It marks a shift toward independently verifiable data, geographically granular performance measurement and regulator-led identification of actual network weaknesses across Bangladesh.
//DBTech/IH/NAP/MIST//