MAHMUDUL HASAN

How many people know that one can switch operators in Bangladesh without losing one’s mobile number? Not many.

Introduced in 2018 with great expectations, the mobile number portability (MNP) service has fallen by the wayside due to a combination of regulatory indifference, high switching costs, operator resistance, and a lack of awareness.

In more than 115 countries, including neighbouring India, the MNP is a widely used tool to enhance consumer freedom, drive competition among mobile network operators and improve service quality.

India, for instance, processes millions of porting requests each month, thanks to robust regulatory backing and widespread public awareness initiatives.

But in Bangladesh, availing the service is nothing short of an ordeal. Take the case of Mizanur Rahman from Tangail. Fed up with poor network coverage in his new home, he urgently needed to switch operators in March. Despite following every required step, his attempt failed.

“I was told that my number had been inactive for over 90 days, which disqualified me. But the truth is, it was never inactive for even 24 hours. It’s pure fraud with customers,” said the private service holder.

The Daily Star spoke to a dozen mobile subscribers who reported the same issue: despite keeping their SIMs active and regularly recharged, their existing operators flagged the SIMs as inactive when porting requests were made by the lone MNP service provider, Infozillion, a joint venture between a local and a Dutch firm.

Despite following all prescribed steps, nearly 45 out of every 100 porting requests are rejected -- in contrast to the international best practice of rejection rate of less than 5 per cent -- according to Infozillion, compelling them to abandon their plan to switch operators altogether.

In the first month of its launch in October 2018, more than 44,000 subscribers successfully ported their numbers. Within eight months, the figure surpassed 111,000. By the end of its first year, upwards of 700,000 users had utilised the service.

However, it took another five and a half years to reach the next 700,000 mark. In May 2025, only 4,341 subscribers successfully ported their numbers.

When the service was introduced, customers were charged Tk 50 along with a 15 percent value-added tax (VAT) by the operators.

However, less than a year later, the National Board of Revenue In

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