Bangladesh Mobile Users Cry Foul as Data Packs Expire Fast and Complaints Pile Up

Mobile internet subscribers across Bangladesh are increasingly complaining that telecom companies are overcharging users through short-validity data packs, confusing promotional offers and unexplained balance deductions, even as complaints lodged with the regulator continue to mount.
For many users, mobile internet has become indispensable for work, study, communication and everyday transactions. Yet what should be a basic utility is often presented through a maze of packages that expire quickly, contain usage restrictions or carry conditions that are not immediately clear to consumers.
Consumers say one of the biggest problems is the short validity of many low-cost data packs. A user may buy a bundle with several gigabytes of data, only to find that the package expires within days before the full amount is used. Others say the market is filled with time-specific or service-specific offers �" such as night packs or social media-only data �" that push people to buy extra bundles for normal browsing.
The complaints have now reached the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, where consumers have accused mobile operators of effectively charging them for data that disappears unused. At a public hearing, the regulator heard grievances over package expiry, balance deductions and service quality, underscoring the scale of public anger over mobile internet pricing. 
BTRC statistics cited in local reporting show the volume of complaints has remained high. In 2023, users filed 11,334 complaints against mobile operators, of which 8,666 were resolved. A year earlier, 15,749 complaints were lodged and 12,219 were settled.
The regulator has also created formal complaint channels, including a complaint box and a 24-hour Call Center (100), allowing customers to submit grievances against telecom operators when service issues remain unresolved.
The issue has become a recurring topic at the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, or BTRC. In a public hearing held last year, customers accused operators of effectively pocketing the value of unused data after package expiry. They also complained about package prices, weak service quality and poor oversight of mobile internet charging practices.
The scale of consumer frustration is reflected in the number of formal complaints submitted to the regulator. According to BTRC statistics cited in local reporting, 11,334 complaints were filed against mobile operators in 2023. Of those, 8,666 �" or 76 per cent �" were resolved. In 2022, 15,749 complaints were submitted, with 12,219, or 78 per cent, settled.
BTRC also maintains a complaint box and a 24-hour Call Center (100), giving consumers formal channels to report service-related grievances. The regulator says users can file complaints against operators when they are unable to obtain service satisfaction directly.
Market listings show why many subscribers continue to feel squeezed. Recent internet package comparisons in Bangladesh indicate that even small bundles are tightly priced and heavily segmented. Banglalink, for example, lists a 1 GB pack at Tk 17 for three days, a 2 GB pack at Tk 32 for seven days, 5 GB at Tk 65 for 15 days and 10 GB at Tk 109 for 30 days. Grameenphone listings also show multiple short- and long-validity packs, including a 1 GB pack for seven days at Tk 48 and a 2 GB pack for seven days at Tk 69.
Industry sources say some of the pressure comes from the cost structure of telecom services. Analysts cited in local reporting say the government takes Tk 56 out of every Tk 100 earned from mobile phone services through taxes and fees, leaving operators with limited room to cut prices.
Operators argue that this tax burden, along with operational costs and investment needs, makes cheaper mobile internet difficult to deliver. They say their margins are already thin, while network expansion and quality improvement require sustained capital expenditure.pr
The broader market picture also reflects strain on consumers. BTRC data show that Bangladesh’s mobile subscriber base fell to 185.8 million in January 2026, while internet subscriptions dropped to 128.99 million, continuing a downward trend that analysts link partly to affordability pressures.
The government and regulator have both signalled concern over the issue. BTRC has previously moved to standardise internet packages around seven-day, 30-day and unlimited validity options, while also discussing reforms that could allow unused data to retain value for longer.
For consumers, the dispute is less about technical package design than about fairness. As mobile data becomes essential for daily life, many users say they want simple pricing, longer validity and fewer hidden deductions �" demands that have now become central to the wider telecom debate in Bangladesh.