# Telephone numbers in Bangladesh

Telephone numbers in Bangladesh are administered under a national numbering plan supervised by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and use the international country code +880, assigned under the ITU-T E.164 numbering standard.<sup>[1](https://www.itu.int/ITU-T/inr/nnp/index.html)</sup> A domestic mobile number has 11 digits beginning with 01, and the same number is written internationally as +880 followed by the 10 digits that remain after the leading zero is removed.<sup>[2](https://mobilesinbd.com/bangladesh-mobile-number-list/)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Country code | +880, assigned by the ITU under E.164<sup>[1](https://www.itu.int/ITU-T/inr/nnp/index.html)</sup> |
| Mobile number format | 11 digits domestically (01XXXXXXXXX); 10 digits after the country code in international format<sup>[2](https://mobilesinbd.com/bangladesh-mobile-number-list/)</sup> |
| Trunk and international prefixes | National trunk prefix 0; international prefix 00 (with a 012 variant recorded in numbering metadata)<sup>[3](https://chromium.googlesource.com/external/libphonenumber/resources/%2B/951cadfed9167d54f31b1b49115946646912b9c2/PhoneNumberMetadata.xml)</sup> |
| Mobile prefixes | 017 and 013 Grameenphone; 018 Robi; 019 and 014 Banglalink; 016 Airtel (now under Robi); 015 Teletalk<sup>[4](https://flexiloadapi.com/blog/bangladesh-mobile-operator-codes-prefixes)</sup> |
| Number portability | Mobile Number Portability launched 1 October 2018 on a trial basis, priced at Tk 158 including a Tk 50 switch fee plus 15% VAT<sup>[5](https://www.dhakatribune.com/science-technology-environment/technology/157041/mobile-number-portability-service-launched)</sup> |
| Governing plan | Bangladesh Numbering Plan (2005), formulated for a projected 100% teledensity by 2031 and intended to serve about 25 years<sup>[6](https://btrc.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/btrc.portal.gov.bd/page/70331228_9816_40ea_8d59_f2baf756d078/national_numbering_plan_2005_0.pdf)</sup> |
| IoT/M2M numbers | BTRC decided to introduce a separate SIM numbering series for IoT and M2M devices, data-only with no voice calls<sup>[7](https://observerbd.com/news/557109)</sup> |

## Structure of a number

Under E.164, an international number consists of the country code followed by the national (significant) number, and the destination country's trunk prefix is not dialled from abroad.<sup>[8](https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/inr/forms/Pages/dialling.aspx?printfriendly=yes)</sup> For Bangladesh this means a mobile number written 01812-345678 domestically appears as +880 1812-345678 internationally, or +8801812345678 in full E.164 form; dialled from the United States it is 011 880 1812-345678, and from the United Kingdom 00 880 1812-345678.<sup>[9](https://spaw.co/tools/phone-number-lookup/countries/bd)</sup>

In domestic format, a mobile number consists of the zero prefixed for calls within the country, the digit 1 marking mobile service, one digit identifying the operator's series, and eight further digits belonging to the subscriber.<sup>[2](https://mobilesinbd.com/bangladesh-mobile-number-list/)</sup> Fixed-line numbers use area codes of two to four digits, and VoIP numbers are 10 digits long, with mobile VoIP and fixed-line ranges kept separate in the plan.<sup>[9](https://spaw.co/tools/phone-number-lookup/countries/bd)</sup>

## Operator prefixes

The first digits after the leading 01 identify the operator series a number was originally allocated to:<sup>[4](https://flexiloadapi.com/blog/bangladesh-mobile-operator-codes-prefixes)</sup>

| Operator | Prefixes |
|---|---|
| Grameenphone | 017, 013 |
| Robi | 018 |
| Banglalink | 019, 014 |
| Airtel (now under Robi) | 016 |
| Teletalk | 015 |

The 013 series was added when 017 filled up, and 014 was added for Banglalink; both are frequently misattributed.<sup>[4](https://flexiloadapi.com/blog/bangladesh-mobile-operator-codes-prefixes)</sup> Numbers beginning with 016 once belonged to Airtel Bangladesh, but since the two companies combined their operations, they have mostly come to serve Robi customers.<sup>[2](https://mobilesinbd.com/bangladesh-mobile-number-list/)</sup> Skitto, Grameenphone's digital brand, uses GP prefixes, so a prefix table alone cannot distinguish a Skitto number from an ordinary [Grameenphone](https://www.edgepedia.org/grameenphone) number.<sup>[4](https://flexiloadapi.com/blog/bangladesh-mobile-operator-codes-prefixes)</sup>

## Mobile number portability

Mobile Number Portability (MNP) lets a subscriber change operators while keeping the same phone number. BTRC took up the service in 2017, handing the license to Infozillion BD Teletech Consortium Ltd, a joint venture between a Bangladeshi firm and a Slovenian firm, which began commercial operations in October 2018.<sup>[10](https://www.bangladeshtradeportal.gov.bd/kcfinder/upload/files/Stat_1599123519.pdf)</sup> The service launched on 1 October 2018 on a trial basis, announced by acting BTRC chairman Md Jahurul Haque, after a planned August launch was pushed back due to technical and regulatory complications.<sup>[5](https://www.dhakatribune.com/science-technology-environment/technology/157041/mobile-number-portability-service-launched)</sup> At launch the facility covered the country's over 154 million mobile subscribers.<sup>[11](https://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-10/01/c_137505796.htm)</sup>

Portability changes what a prefix means. Because a number can move to another operator while keeping its original prefix, the prefix shows the original allocation but not always the network currently serving the number.<sup>[2](https://mobilesinbd.com/bangladesh-mobile-number-list/)</sup> Early adoption was measurable: within weeks of launch BTRC reported 11,676 Grameenphone customers porting out while retaining their existing 11-digit numbers.<sup>[12](https://www.thedailystar.net/business/telecom/mobile-number-portability-service-launched-pm-robi-gains-gp-loses-1650118)</sup> For MNP traffic routing, BTRC assigns routing numbers to each mobile operator, and networks deliver mobile-terminated traffic to the international gateway with the destination number prefixed by the routing number of the terminating operator.<sup>[13](https://lims.btrc.gov.bd/uploads/service_guideline/Guidelines%20for%20MNPS.pdf)</sup>

## The national numbering plan

The current Bangladesh Numbering Plan dates from 2005, replacing a plan last reviewed in 2001 that predated full opening of the telecom sector to private participation.<sup>[6](https://btrc.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/btrc.portal.gov.bd/page/70331228_9816_40ea_8d59_f2baf756d078/national_numbering_plan_2005_0.pdf)</sup> Its stated objectives include conformity with ITU standards, reserving numbering capacity for undefined future needs, supporting competition through fair access to numbering resources, and standardizing number length where practical; only the decimal digits 0 through 9 may form part of the national (significant) number.<sup>[6](https://btrc.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/btrc.portal.gov.bd/page/70331228_9816_40ea_8d59_f2baf756d078/national_numbering_plan_2005_0.pdf)</sup> A Grameenphone prospectus describes the plan as a 10-digit national (significant) number for both basic and cellular mobile services, intended to operate for about 25 years against a forecast of 100% teledensity.<sup>[14](https://sec.gov.bd/ipoprospectus/Prospectus-GP.pdf)</sup>

Number blocks and short codes are treated as national resources, and licensees must comply with the numbering plan and with BTRC's framework for number portability.<sup>[15](https://lims.btrc.gov.bd/uploads/service_guideline/IPTSP%20Guideline.pdf)</sup>

## Recent developments

BTRC has decided to introduce a separate SIM numbering series for Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) devices to manage the growing network of smart gadgets. These SIMs will support data use only, with no voice calls, a measure BTRC says will ease network management and support security and long-term planning as 4G spreads and 5G is introduced.<sup>[7](https://observerbd.com/news/557109)</sup>

## History of the country code

An ITU dialing-code listing from 1993 already records 880 for Bangladesh with Dhaka as city code 2.<sup>[16](https://twentyfiveyears-assets.telegeography.com/TeleGeography-1993.pdf)</sup>

## References

1. [National Numbering Plans, ITU-T (Bangladesh +880)](https://www.itu.int/ITU-T/inr/nnp/index.html)
2. [Bangladesh Mobile Number List 2026: Codes, Format & Operators](https://mobilesinbd.com/bangladesh-mobile-number-list/)
3. [PhoneNumberMetadata.xml, libphonenumber (Bangladesh territory entry)](https://chromium.googlesource.com/external/libphonenumber/resources/%2B/951cadfed9167d54f31b1b49115946646912b9c2/PhoneNumberMetadata.xml)
4. [Bangladesh Mobile Operator Codes and Number Prefixes, Supayo](https://flexiloadapi.com/blog/bangladesh-mobile-operator-codes-prefixes)
5. [Mobile number portability service launched, Dhaka Tribune (1 October 2018)](https://www.dhakatribune.com/science-technology-environment/technology/157041/mobile-number-portability-service-launched)
6. [Bangladesh Numbering Plan (2005), BTRC](https://btrc.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/btrc.portal.gov.bd/page/70331228_9816_40ea_8d59_f2baf756d078/national_numbering_plan_2005_0.pdf)
7. [BTRC to launch dedicated SIMs for IoT, M2M devices, The Daily Star via Observer BD (6 December 2025)](https://observerbd.com/news/557109)
8. [Dialling Procedures Notification Form, ITU-T](https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/inr/forms/Pages/dialling.aspx?printfriendly=yes)
9. [Phone numbers in Bangladesh (+880): calling code and number format, Spaw](https://spaw.co/tools/phone-number-lookup/countries/bd)
10. [WT/TPR/S/385 • Bangladesh, Bangladesh Trade Portal (WTO Trade Policy Review)](https://www.bangladeshtradeportal.gov.bd/kcfinder/upload/files/Stat_1599123519.pdf)
11. [Bangladesh rolls out mobile number portability, Xinhua (1 October 2018)](https://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-10/01/c_137505796.htm)
12. [Robi gains, GP loses, The Daily Star (21 October 2018)](https://www.thedailystar.net/business/telecom/mobile-number-portability-service-launched-pm-robi-gains-gp-loses-1650118)
13. [Guidelines for MNP Service Providers, BTRC](https://lims.btrc.gov.bd/uploads/service_guideline/Guidelines%20for%20MNPS.pdf)
14. [Grameenphone IPO Prospectus, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission](https://sec.gov.bd/ipoprospectus/Prospectus-GP.pdf)
15. [IPTSP Guideline, BTRC](https://lims.btrc.gov.bd/uploads/service_guideline/IPTSP%20Guideline.pdf)
16. [International Telephone Dialing Codes, TeleGeography (1993)](https://twentyfiveyears-assets.telegeography.com/TeleGeography-1993.pdf)

---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Communications and everyday technology › Telephony systems and services › Numbering plans and codes › Area codes and national numbering plans › National numbering plans: Asia and Middle East*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license