# eSIM for Bangladesh

Viasimo's Bangladesh eSIM starts at $1.59 for 500 MB over 1 day, running on Banglalink with 4G LTE where available. Plans last 1 to 180 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app.

Canonical page: https://viasimo.com/destinations/bangladesh/

## Bangladesh eSIM prices

| Plan | Data | Days | Price | Price per GB |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 500 MB, 1 day | 500 MB | 1 | $1.59 | $3.26 |
| 1 GB, 1 day | 1 GB | 1 | $2.00 | $2.00 |
| 2 GB, 1 day | 2 GB | 1 | $2.79 | $1.40 |
| 3 GB, 1 day | 3 GB | 1 | $3.79 | $1.26 |
| 10 GB, 1 day | 10 GB | 1 | $10.99 | $1.10 |
| Unlimited, 3 days | Unlimited | 3 | $8.00 | - |
| Unlimited, 5 days | Unlimited | 5 | $11.99 | - |
| 1 GB, 7 days | 1 GB | 7 | $2.00 | $2.00 |
| Unlimited, 7 days | Unlimited | 7 | $16.00 | - |
| Unlimited, 10 days | Unlimited | 10 | $21.99 | - |
| 3 GB, 15 days | 3 GB | 15 | $4.59 | $1.53 |
| Unlimited, 15 days | Unlimited | 15 | $32.00 | - |
| 3 GB, 30 days | 3 GB | 30 | $5.00 | $1.67 |
| 5 GB, 30 days | 5 GB | 30 | $8.00 | $1.60 |
| 10 GB, 30 days | 10 GB | 30 | $12.99 | $1.30 |
| 20 GB, 30 days | 20 GB | 30 | $22.99 | $1.15 |
| Unlimited, 30 days | Unlimited | 30 | $57.00 | - |
| Unlimited, 60 days | Unlimited | 60 | $114.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 90 days | Unlimited | 90 | $174.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 180 days | Unlimited | 180 | $339.99 | - |

## Which networks does the Bangladesh eSIM use?

- **Banglalink**: 4G LTE

Your eSIM picks one automatically; you do not choose or switch between them.

The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.

## eSIM Details

- **Data**: 500 MB – 20 GB or unlimited
- **Validity**: 1–180 days
- **Speed**: 4G LTE
- **Hotspot / tethering**: Supported on most devices
- **Activation**: Starts when you first connect in your destination
- **Speed management**: Roughly 2-3 GB per day at full speed, sometimes less depending on the local carrier, then reduced
- **Top-ups**: Add more data from your account, before the plan expires
- **Text messages (SMS)**: Data only: use an app for verification codes
- **Connects via**: United Kingdom
- **Unused validity**: 180 days before it must be installed

## Bangladesh: what to know before you land

Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/bangladesh/#destination-guide · Researched October 2026 by Viasimo

In Bangladesh this eSIM runs on Banglalink's 4G network, which Opensignal's January 2026 report ranked joint-fastest for downloads, level with market leader Grameenphone. Coverage outside the cities is thinner than Grameenphone's, 5G is limited to two rival operators, and a new national handset registry went live in 2026.

### Bangladesh: quick facts

| Fact | Bangladesh |
| --- | --- |
| Emergency number | 999 |
| Main airports | Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka (DAC); Shah Amanat International Airport, Chattogram (CGP); Osmani International Airport, Sylhet (ZYL) |
| Plug types | Type A, C, D, G (220V) |
| Currency | Bangladeshi taka (BDT) |
| Apps worth having | Uber, Pathao, WhatsApp, IMO, Facebook Messenger, bKash |

### Banglalink versus Grameenphone and Robi in Opensignal's data

(Bangladesh · https://viasimo.com/destinations/bangladesh/#guide-banglalink-versus-grameenphone-and-robi-in-opensignal-s-data)

Bangladesh has four mobile operators. By mid-2025 Grameenphone had about 86.5 million subscribers, Robi 57.4 million, Banglalink 38 million and the state-owned Teletalk 6.6 million. This eSIM connects to **Banglalink**.

Opensignal's January 2026 report gives a fair picture of what that means in practice:

- **Speed:** Banglalink recorded the highest average download speed at 25.4 Mbps, a fraction ahead of Grameenphone's 25.3 Mbps, and won the games experience category. Upload speeds were tied with Grameenphone.
- **Coverage:** Grameenphone scored 9.1 out of 10 for coverage experience against Banglalink's 6.9, so in rural districts Grameenphone users will often hold a signal where you don't.
- **Time connected:** Banglalink users spent 89.7% of their time on a network connection, close to Grameenphone's 90.3%.

So expect quick 4G in Dhaka, Chattogram and the larger towns, and a gap compared with Grameenphone in remote villages. Grameenphone and Robi launched 5G in parts of the country in September 2025; Banglalink had not, and this eSIM is 4G only.

### NEIR, the national handset registry switched on in 2026

(Bangladesh · https://viasimo.com/destinations/bangladesh/#guide-neir-the-national-handset-registry-switched-on-in-2026)

From the start of 2026 the telecoms regulator, BTRC, began enforcing the **National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR)**, a database of every handset's IMEI number. Its purpose is to stop smuggled and unofficial phones working on local networks, and it has been controversial with traders and residents.

The published rules focus on people living in Bangladesh: phones bought abroad or brought home by returning Bangladeshis must be registered through the NEIR portal or by SMS within a short window, using passport or travel documents. Anyone can check a handset's status by texting **KYD** followed by the IMEI to 16002 from a local number.

The BTRC has not set out clear English-language guidance for short-term visitors. That is one practical reason to arrive with this eSIM rather than buying a local SIM: you are not putting a Bangladeshi SIM into your phone, so you avoid the operator-store paperwork. If you do buy a local SIM for a longer stay, ask at the store whether your handset needs registering, and keep your passport with you.

### Shutdowns, Durga Puja crowds and the Hill Tracts warning

(Bangladesh · https://viasimo.com/destinations/bangladesh/#guide-shutdowns-durga-puja-crowds-and-the-hill-tracts-warning)

During the July 2024 uprising the authorities cut mobile internet and social media for days, a shutdown that only ended after the prime minister resigned on 5 August. In late 2025 the interim government drafted a telecoms ordinance intended to outlaw internet shutdowns. Even so, during political unrest it is sensible to have offline maps, screenshots of bookings and your embassy's phone number saved on the device.

Crowds also strain the network. The UK Foreign Office warns of big crowds, heavy security and traffic disruption around temples during **Durga Puja (16 to 21 October 2026)**. Mobile data in packed areas can slow to a crawl, so agree meeting points in advance.

The Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, which may affect your insurance. It also flags flash floods and landslides in the Hill Tracts, Cox's Bazar and Sylhet, especially in the pre-monsoon and monsoon months. During floods, check road conditions over data before you set off.

### Cash, bKash and app rides in Dhaka

(Bangladesh · https://viasimo.com/destinations/bangladesh/#guide-cash-bkash-and-app-rides-in-dhaka)

Bangladesh's everyday payments run on mobile money, led by **bKash**, but an account is tied to a local number and national ID, so most visitors rely on cash in taka (BDT) and cards in hotels and larger restaurants. ATMs are common in Dhaka and Chattogram; carry small notes for rickshaws, CNG auto-rickshaws and street food.

For getting around, **Uber** and the local app **Pathao** both operate in Dhaka, offering cars and motorbike rides. Fares are shown up front and you can pay in cash, which suits travellers without a local wallet. Because this eSIM has no local phone number, drivers who want to call you won't be able to; keep the in-app chat open and share a map pin rather than an address.

WhatsApp and IMO are widely used, and Facebook Messenger is how many small businesses, guesthouses and tour operators handle bookings. Google Maps works well in cities for walking and ride pick-ups, but it is less reliable for the exact location of small hotels, so ask your accommodation to send a pinned location before you arrive.

### Sources for the Bangladesh guide

- [Bangladesh Mobile Network Experience Report, January 2026 (Opensignal)](https://insights.opensignal.com/reports/2026/01/bangladesh/mobile-network-experience)
- [What is the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR)? (The Business Standard)](https://www.tbsnews.net/explainer/what-national-equipment-identity-register-neir-1290026)
- [NEIR rollout kicks off process to block illegal mobile handsets (The Business Standard)](https://www.tbsnews.net/node/1323926)
- [Govt moves to abolish NTMC, outlaw internet shutdowns (Dhaka Tribune)](https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/395670/govt-moves-to-outlaw-internet-shutdowns-abolish/)
- [Bangladesh travel advice (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/bangladesh)
- [Internet in Bangladesh (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_in_Bangladesh)

## Seven days in Bangladesh: Old Dhaka, Sonargaon, Bagerhat and the Sundarbans

7-day itinerary · 7 days · Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/bangladesh/#itinerary

A week for curious first-timers who want Bangladesh's river life and history: Mughal and colonial Dhaka, the old capital at Sonargaon, the mosque city of Bagerhat and a boat trip into the Sundarbans mangroves, with one domestic flight each way.

**When to go:** November to February is dry and mild and the best time for the Sundarbans; avoid the June to October monsoon and cyclone season, and expect crowds and heavy security around temples during Durga Puja (16 to 21 October 2026).

### Day 1 in Bangladesh: Old Dhaka by rickshaw and boat

- **Base:** Dhaka
- **Plan:** Start early at Lalbagh Fort, the unfinished seventeenth-century Mughal fort with the tomb of Pari Bibi. Take a cycle rickshaw through the lanes of Old Dhaka to the Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection and the mosaic-covered Star Mosque. Finish at Ahsan Manzil, the pink palace of the Dhaka nawabs on the Buriganga, then hire a small wooden boat from Sadarghat for an hour on the river at dusk.
- **Mobile signal:** Banglalink 4G works across central Dhaka, but speeds drop in the dense lanes of Old Dhaka and around the crowds at Sadarghat; download offline maps of the old city before you set out.

### Day 2 in Bangladesh: Sonargaon and Panam Nagar

- **Base:** Dhaka
- **Getting there:** Sonargaon is about 30 km from central Dhaka; by car it takes 1 to 2 hours each way depending on traffic.
- **Plan:** Drive south-east to Sonargaon, the medieval capital of Bengal. Walk the single street of Panam Nagar, lined with crumbling nineteenth-century merchant houses, then visit the Folk Art and Crafts Museum in the grounds of the old Sardar Bari mansion. On the way back, stop at the riverside Goaldi Mosque, a small fifteenth-century sultanate mosque. Allow for slow traffic leaving and re-entering Dhaka.
- **Mobile signal:** 4G holds along the Dhaka–Chattogram highway and in Sonargaon town; inside the brick buildings of Panam Nagar and the museum it can fall to a weak signal.

### Day 3 in Bangladesh: Fly south to Bagerhat's mosque city

- **Base:** Khulna or Mongla
- **Getting there:** Dhaka to Jashore is about 40 minutes by air; Jashore to Bagerhat is roughly 2 hours by road. Driving over the Padma Bridge from Dhaka takes about 4 to 5 hours instead.
- **Plan:** Take a morning flight to Jashore and drive to Bagerhat, the fifteenth-century city founded by Khan Jahan Ali and now a UNESCO World Heritage site. See the Shait Gumbad, or Sixty Dome Mosque, then the tomb of Khan Jahan beside its tank, where pilgrims feed the resident crocodiles. Visit the smaller Singar and Bibi Begni mosques if time allows, then continue to Khulna or Mongla for tomorrow's boat.
- **Mobile signal:** Good 4G in Jashore and Khulna; the monument zones at Bagerhat are rural and coverage is usable but slower between the two clusters, which are about 6.5 km apart.

### Day 4 in Bangladesh: Into the Sundarbans

- **Base:** Boat in the Sundarbans
- **Getting there:** Khulna to Mongla port is about 1 hour by road if your boat leaves from Mongla.
- **Plan:** Board a licensed tour boat at Mongla; the operator arranges Forest Department permits and an armed forest guard. Sail down the Pasur River into the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest. Stop at Karamjal to see the wildlife breeding centre and walkways, then cruise the narrow creeks by small boat looking for spotted deer, kingfishers and crocodiles. Spend the night on board.
- **Mobile signal:** Coverage fades within an hour of leaving Mongla and much of the forest has no usable signal at all; tell people at home you will be offline overnight.

### Day 5 in Bangladesh: Sundarbans creeks and back to Khulna

- **Base:** Khulna
- **Plan:** Go out at first light in a country boat, when birds and deer are most active and the tide reveals mudbanks. Walk the raised trail at Harbaria with your guard, looking for tiger pugmarks rather than expecting a sighting, since Bengal tigers are rarely seen. Sail back to Mongla in the afternoon and return to Khulna for a hot shower and a night on land.
- **Mobile signal:** Expect no signal for most of the morning; 4G returns as you approach Mongla, and Khulna has reliable coverage for catching up on messages.

### Day 6 in Bangladesh: Back to Dhaka: Kahn's parliament and the Liberation War Museum

- **Base:** Dhaka
- **Getting there:** Drive back to Jashore (about 2 hours from Khulna) for the 40-minute flight to Dhaka.
- **Plan:** Fly back from Jashore in the morning. In the afternoon, see the National Parliament House at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar from the surrounding grounds; Louis Kahn's concrete complex is one of the landmark buildings of the twentieth century. Then spend a couple of hours at the Liberation War Museum in Agargaon, which tells the story of the 1971 war of independence.
- **Mobile signal:** Strong 4G in Agargaon and around the parliament; indoors at the museum, connection is fine for messaging but expect slower speeds on Banglalink than in the open.

### Day 7 in Bangladesh: Dhaka University and departure

- **Base:** Dhaka
- **Plan:** Spend your last morning around Dhaka University: the red-brick Curzon Hall, the Central Shaheed Minar honouring the language martyrs of 1952, and the nearby Bangla Academy. If you have time, walk around Hatirjheel lake in the afternoon. Leave at least two to three hours to reach Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, as traffic on Airport Road can be severe.
- **Mobile signal:** City 4G is dependable for ride-hailing and check-in; keep a screenshot of your e-ticket in case the airport terminal is crowded and data slows.

### Staying connected on this Bangladesh route

- Download offline Google Maps for Dhaka, Khulna and the Sundarbans before day 3; there is no usable signal on the boat.
- Save your boat operator's and guide's numbers as phone contacts and agree a check-in time with family for when you are back in Mongla.
- Bangladesh has restricted mobile internet during unrest before; keep key documents saved offline and follow local news if protests are announced.

### Sources for the Bangladesh itinerary

- [Bangladesh travel advice – GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/bangladesh)
- [Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat – UNESCO World Heritage Centre](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/321)
- [The Sundarbans – UNESCO World Heritage Centre](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/798)
- [Bangladesh mobile network experience report, January 2026 – Opensignal](https://insights.opensignal.com/reports/2026/01/bangladesh/mobile-network-experience)

## About this eSIM

Bangladesh runs on mobile. Payments, ride-hailing, deliveries, ferry bookings and most of daily communication happen on phones, so a traveller without data is cut out of the systems everyone else is using. An eSIM solves that on landing without a queue at a counter or a paperwork detour, and the coverage picture is straightforward: strong through the cities and the densely populated plains, weaker in the hill districts and the delta, effectively absent on the water in the Sundarbans.

### Getting online when you land

Hazrat Shahjalal International in Dhaka is where most trips begin, and the arrivals hall is chaotic enough that you want the phone working before you step into it. Install the eSIM profile at home, then on landing switch the line on, allow data roaming for it, and set it as your default data connection. That takes under a minute and puts a working ride-hailing app in your hand while you are still inside the terminal.

That matters more here than in most places. Airport taxi negotiation in Dhaka is a sport, and booking a car through an app removes the entire conversation. Traffic also means your arrival time is a guess, so being able to message whoever is expecting you is worth having from the first minute rather than the first hotel.

### The networks you'll be on

The host network you attach to is Banglalink, running 4G LTE. That is the ceiling: plan for 4G as your good case and 3G as the fallback outside the main corridors, and do not build the trip around anything faster.

In practice 4G handles everything a traveller needs, including video calls and map navigation through heavy traffic. What varies is not the technology but the load. Dense urban areas at peak hours, big religious and national gatherings, and cricket match days can all slow things down noticeably even with full bars. If a page will not load, waiting a few minutes is often more effective than troubleshooting; if it persists, cycle airplane mode and let the handset reattach.

### Where coverage holds, and where it thins

Dhaka is comprehensively covered, as are Chattogram, Sylhet, Khulna, Rajshahi and the towns along the main highways. The Dhaka to Chattogram corridor, the Padma bridge crossing and the road to Cox's Bazar all hold service well, and the long-distance bus and train routes across the central plains stay usable for most of the journey.

Coverage weakens where the population thins or the terrain rises. The Chittagong Hill Tracts around Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari are hilly and forested, and service there is settlement-by-settlement rather than continuous; parts of the region also involve permits and restrictions that shape where you can go at all. The tea estates around Srimangal are fine in the towns and patchy on the plantation tracks. Char islands in the big rivers and remote delta settlements can be very thin.

The clearest gap is the Sundarbans. A multi-day boat trip into the mangroves is largely offline, by design of geography rather than any failure of the network, and you should plan your communications around being unreachable for the duration. River launches on the longer routes drop in and out as they pass settlements.

### What you'll actually use data for here

Ride-hailing, constantly. Cars, and in Dhaka motorbike rides that cut through traffic in ways a car cannot, are booked and paid through apps, and the app is also what fixes the address problem, since street numbering is not how anyone here actually navigates. You will point at a map pin far more often than you say an address.

Translation is the second workhorse. Bangla script on menus, bus destinations and shop signs is not guessable, and a camera translation makes an unreadable board legible. After that: live traffic, which genuinely changes decisions about when to leave; ferry and train schedules; hotel and guesthouse messaging over WhatsApp, which is how most small operators prefer to be contacted; and the usual photos and calls home.

If you plan to work while travelling, budget generously. Hotel wifi in the cities is fine, but outside Dhaka and Chattogram a mobile hotspot is often the more reliable option.

### Before you fly

Check that your handset supports eSIM and is unlocked, and install the profile at home rather than in transit. Keep the activation details in your email as a backup in case you need to reinstall.

Download offline maps for Dhaka and every region on your route, and save your hotel's location as a pin, not just a name. Screenshot key addresses and, if you can get it, the Bangla spelling of where you are staying, since handing a driver a screen is far more effective than pronouncing it. Turn on data roaming for the travel line, keep your home line active for verification codes, and if the Sundarbans or the hill districts are on the itinerary, tell people at home in advance that you will be off the grid for those days.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does an eSIM work in Bangladesh?

Yes. Your Bangladesh eSIM connects automatically the moment you arrive, with no roaming fees and nothing to set up at the airport. The host networks it can use are Banglalink. Coverage runs on 4G LTE. There is no 5G on our host network in Bangladesh yet.

### Do I get 5G in Bangladesh?

No. Banglalink do not yet offer 5G to visitors in Bangladesh, so your eSIM connects over 4G LTE or slower. Anyone claiming 5G for this destination is quoting a spec sheet, not the network you will actually get.

### Which is the best mobile network in Bangladesh?

It depends what you measure. Opensignal's January 2026 report found Banglalink, the network this eSIM uses, joint fastest for downloads at around 25 Mbps, while Grameenphone led clearly on coverage experience and video. In cities the difference is small; deep in rural areas Grameenphone generally reaches further.

### Is there 5G in Bangladesh?

Yes, but only in a limited way. Grameenphone and Robi switched on 5G in selected areas in September 2025, and Opensignal found users were on 5G less than 10% of the time. Banglalink had not launched 5G, so this eSIM uses 4G LTE throughout the country.

### Do I need to register my phone under NEIR as a tourist in Bangladesh?

NEIR, enforced from 2026, is designed around local SIMs and phones owned by residents, including devices Bangladeshis bring home from abroad. The regulator has not published clear rules for short-term visitors. Using a travel eSIM keeps a Bangladeshi SIM out of your phone; if you buy a local SIM, ask the operator whether registration applies.

### Can the internet be shut down in Bangladesh?

It has happened: mobile internet and social media were cut during the July 2024 protests until early August. In late 2025 the interim government drafted a telecoms ordinance to outlaw shutdowns. During unrest, save offline maps, booking screenshots and your embassy's number in case access is restricted again.

### Does Uber work in Dhaka?

Yes. Uber and the local app Pathao both run in Dhaka, with cars and motorbike rides, and you can pay cash. As this eSIM is data only, drivers can't phone you, so use the in-app chat and drop a pin for pick-ups. Allow plenty of time: traffic can turn short trips into long ones.

### How much data do I need for 7 days in Bangladesh?

For 7 days in Bangladesh, Viasimo sells 1 GB for $2.00 and unlimited data for $16.00. Our sizing recommendation, not a measurement: maps, messaging and the occasional lookup, about 1 GB a week; maps, social, photos and some browsing, about 3 to 7 GB a week. The data calculator on this site works it out from how you actually use your phone.

## Information and verification

- **Prices and plans**: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in. Verified October 30, 2026.
- **Host networks**: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.