Compare the Grameenphone Tourist SIM periods
Grameenphone publishes a Tourist SIM specifically for people visiting Bangladesh. Its current product page shows Basic for seven days at BDT 999, Standard for fifteen days at BDT 1,499 and Premium for thirty days at BDT 1,999, including tax, at the time of checking. The page says a bundle can be bought more than once and that the tourist number enters a recycling process after thirty days. Those are bundle periods rather than a promise that the number can be kept indefinitely; check the current allowance and activation date at a Grameenphone centre before paying.
The Tourist SIM page points users to the Grameenphone store locator, but does not list every issuing counter or the full document checklist. Grameenphone's eSIM FAQ says new connections require identity and address evidence and a biometric step. Bring travel documents to the chosen centre and ask it to confirm the exact foreign-visitor requirements, eSIM stock and activation procedure. Do not assume every retailer or airport counter can issue the tourist version. If the whole visit is only a brief stop in Dhaka, compare the time spent obtaining a local line with a home roaming allowance or a data eSIM already installed.
Set aside time for eSIM identification
Grameenphone's eSIM FAQ describes a new connection through a GP Experience Centre or its online shop and says the normal SIM purchase and biometric checks still apply. It asks for identity and address evidence, an eSIM-capable handset, a working camera and an existing internet connection for QR activation. A digital profile therefore does not make the local identity process disappear. Take the travel documents requested by the centre and verify whether a foreign visitor can complete its chosen online route before relying on a remote purchase.
The operator's handset list says a device must be carrier unlocked and warns that variants sold in different markets may have different eSIM support even when the model name looks familiar. Check the exact phone variant before travel. Once a GP eSIM is active, the FAQ says replacing a physical SIM for the same number disables that physical card; it also warns that deleting a profile can require a fresh QR code and a visit to an authorised outlet. Keep the QR details and avoid deleting the installed line while troubleshooting. For dual-SIM use, select deliberately which line supplies data, voice calls and texts.
Check the handset in BTRC's device register
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission operates the National Equipment Identity Register, or NEIR. Its citizen portal lets a user check a handset's IMEI and says the result may show a verified, unregistered or blocked device. The portal gives an SMS check: send KYD followed by a space and the fifteen-digit IMEI to 16002. It also notes that dual-SIM phones can have a separate IMEI for each slot. Before inserting a Bangladesh SIM, record the IMEI or IMEIs using the phone's settings or *#06# so a registration issue can be discussed accurately with the operator.
If the portal shows a device as not registered, it says a request can be submitted with valid documents for BTRC review and that the result is notified by SMS. This does not establish a universal grace period for visiting phones. Older BTRC explanatory material describes an earlier trial arrangement, while the current NEIR portal provides the operational check; rely on the present status and instructions rather than an old timeline. Keep proof of how the phone was acquired and the travel documents available if the regulator or operator asks for them. A data eSIM cannot fix a handset IMEI problem on a local network.
Read the named 5G areas as selected locations
Grameenphone publishes a detailed list of locations where it describes 5G availability. In Dhaka it includes parts of Gulshan, Banani, Mirpur, the Airport Circle and Kamalapur Railway Station. The list also names selected locations in Cox's Bazar, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Barisal, Khulna and Sylhet. This is an operator's list of named areas, not a BTRC guarantee for every street, building or train. A visitor going from an airport hotel to another district should plan for ordinary mobile data outside the listed 5G areas and keep essential maps available offline.
Grameenphone announced deployment of 700 MHz spectrum in June 2026 and said it expected better indoor and rural coverage as that deployment progresses. That is the operator's expectation, not measured coverage at a particular village or beach. Ask about the current signal where you will stay and, if connectivity is critical, avoid judging a long route by reception in central Dhaka. Its published service terms also say quality and availability can vary with physical and environmental conditions.
Do not rely on a text-only airport Wi-Fi login
Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport's own service page says free Wi-Fi is offered in its arrival and departure terminals. For several named networks, it directs passengers to the Wi-Fi help desk to provide a name and mobile number, then enter a one-time code delivered by SMS. A traveller whose home SIM cannot receive texts, and who has not yet activated a Bangladesh line, should not assume that login route will work. The airport also lists BTCL open and secured Wi-Fi networks separately, so check the network names displayed at the terminal and follow on-site instructions rather than relying on a remembered password.
Before flying, save the accommodation address in both English and Bangla if provided by the host, plus the route out of the airport. Keep a copy of the Grameenphone purchase information and an offline version of the passport or visa details you need to show; the original travel documents may still be required for identity verification. If a SIM cannot be activated immediately, the airport help desk and an already functioning home line are practical routes to reach accommodation. Avoid beginning a paid ride or an onward journey with the only directions inside an app that has not yet connected.
Keep the rail ticket and recharge route accessible
Bangladesh Railway's official e-ticket instructions direct passengers to its own ticket website, where registration involves an email and confirmation link before choosing a date, stations, train and class. The instructions were last updated in 2022, so use the live booking site for current screens and payment choices. Prepare the email account and ticket copy before a train to Chattogram or another city; access in a busy station and on a moving train should not be assumed from the presence of 5G in a few listed neighbourhoods. A local number may help with account messages, but the cited Railway instructions specifically describe an email confirmation step.
For a Grameenphone number, the operator's current information page says the MyGP app can show usage, buy internet packs and recharge through listed mobile-money or card methods. Check that your own payment instrument is accepted rather than assuming a foreign card will work. The Tourist SIM page provides short codes to check the main balance and phone number, useful when a recharge form asks for the local number. Recharge while a connection is working and before the tourist bundle expires; its stated thirty-day recycling process makes it unsuitable as a number to give out for long-term contact without confirming continuation terms.
Networks our Bangladesh plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Bangladesh, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Banglalink4G
- Grameen4G
- Grameenphone4G
- GrameenPhone4G
- GrameenPhone Ltd.4G
- Robi4G