Published : 06 Nov 2026, 09:55 AM
Updated : 06 Nov 2026, 09:56 AM
The telecom regulator has set a target of shutting down 2G services in Bangladesh within three years, raising questions over millions of button phones.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) estimates that 61.3 million SIM subscribers use 2G handsets, most of which do not support Voice over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE).
Operators say voice calls will run on VoLTE after the 2G sunset.
At a workshop with mobile operators and stakeholders in October, the BTRC presented a roadmap to end 2G by 2029.
It will approve no new 2G phone models after this December, bar their manufacture after Mar 31, 2027 and stop their sale after June 2027. Services are to end for subscribers by December 2029.
When 2G is switched off, phones that do not support VoLTE will stop working, while VoLTE-enabled button phones will keep running.
VoLTE carries voice calls over 4G or LTE data instead of 2G or 3G circuit-switched networks
Tanveer Mohammad, chief corporate affairs officer of Grameenphone, said subscribers are already shifting to WhatsApp and similar apps, with some movement towards VoLTE.
Even if 2G services are phased out, people will still be able to make calls, either through OTT applications or VoLTE, he said.
Asked whether button phones would remain available, Tanveer said some 4G handsets on the market were already designed solely for VoLTE.
Telecom officials say phones supporting only 2G will stop working because the network will be gone.
Robi Axiata Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer Shahed Alam said BTRC's plan targeted the phase-out of 2G-only handsets, which typically have a lifespan of three to four years.
The regulator has instructed manufacturers not to produce any more 2G handsets from next year. As a result, there should be no 2G-only handsets left in people's hands by 2030, he said.
“All handsets will then be feature phones. If you dial a voice call, it will go through VoLTE or as an app-to-app call. That is how things work around the world now.”
“For example, there is no 2G in the United States. Calls go through VoLTE or app-to-app services. The technology changes,” Shahed said.
He said internet-based calls could cost several times less per minute than conventional voice calls, adding that this was one reason people were increasingly using apps such as WhatsApp.
How the more than 61 million handsets will be replaced remains unclear.
Jakaria Shahid, managing director of Edison Group, which makes Symphony handsets, and president of the Mobile Phone Industry Owners Association of Bangladesh (MIOAB), said attractive packages combining voice and data services with handsets, alongside instalment payment options, could encourage customers to switch to 4G.
A coordinated effort by mobile operators, handset manufacturers and other stakeholders would be needed to speed up the transition, he said.
ICT Secretary Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan said last week the government is pushing to make smartphones priced at Tk 4,000-5,000 locally to connect marginal people to the digital system.
Button phones now sell for Tk 900-1,000 and offer torches, music playback, FM radio and in some cases limited internet.
Many self-taught users and elderly people in the country also struggle to operate smartphones with touchscreens.
The loss of button phones could therefore leave some of them facing difficulties.
