Traditional Technologies Experience Declining Trends
Mobile and Smartphone Usage Surges Nationwide
- Individual mobile phone usage surges significantly from 82.9% to 89.6% within a single year
- While household internet connections dipped slightly, individual internet users expanded from 55% to 59.2%
- BBS data reveals a rise in household smartphone and television penetration alongside a decline in traditional radios and fixed phones.
The pattern of information and communication technology usage and ownership across households and individuals in Bangladesh is undergoing a noticeable transformation. While drawing rooms feature smart televisions alongside personal smartphones, the presence of older technologies is witnessing a gradual decline. These insights were revealed in a comparative report released on Sunday (September 20) by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) covering the fourth quarters of the 2024-25 and 2025-26 fiscal years, highlighting the fastest-growing trends centered around smartphones.
According to BBS data, households possessing smartphones increased from 74.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024-25 to 75.1 percent in the corresponding period of 2025-26, registering a growth of 0.3 percentage points within a year. Similarly, television presence in homes rose from 59.1 percent to 60.1 percent.
With mobile phones present in almost every household, the overarching indicator remained stable at around 99 percent, and households owning sole mobile devices inched up slightly from 98.1 percent to 98.2 percent. Conversely, traditional technologies experienced a downward trajectory. Household radio ownership dropped from 16.3 percent to 15.3 percent, fixed landline phones decreased from 0.9 percent to 0.7 percent, and households owning computers declined marginally from 9.2 percent to 9.1 percent.
Despite broader technological expansion, household internet connections recorded a minor dip. During the fourth quarter of 2024-25, 59.7 percent of households had internet connectivity, which decreased to 58.2 percent in the same period of 2025-26. However, individual-level internet usage presented an encouraging contrast, rising from 55 percent to 59.2 percent over the comparative timeframe.
The most prominent surge occurred in individual mobile phone usage. The share of individuals using mobile phones jumped from 82.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024-25 to 89.6 percent in the corresponding period of 2025-26, marking an increase of 6.7 percentage points in a single year. Furthermore, personal mobile phone ownership grew from 64.2 percent to 65.6 percent, while individual computer users edged up slightly from 11.6 percent to 11.8 percent. Together, these findings demonstrate that Bangladesh's digital landscape is becoming increasingly mobile-centric, with smartphones and mobile technologies rapidly replacing conventional desktop and alternative devices.
//DBTech/IH/SME/MIST//
