The best eSIM for Bangladesh is the one that fits how long you stay and where you go. Visiting family in Dhaka or Sylhet, or touring the country? A Bangladesh eSIM gives you the most data for your money, from 3 days to 6 months. Flying in through Dubai, Doha or Kolkata and spending time there too? An Asia eSIM covers Bangladesh and 25 more countries on one plan. Both are data only. You install them at home, and they connect when you land. Plan details in this guide come from our Bangladesh eSIM page and Asia eSIM page.
Short on time? Here are three Bangladesh picks: two weeks, a month or three months.
Bangladesh 20GB (15 days) · Bangladesh 50GB (30 days) · Bangladesh 60GB (90 days) · all data only · See all Bangladesh eSIMs or browse every destination
What makes an eSIM the best one for Bangladesh?
There is no single best eSIM for everyone. The right one fits your trip. Check these points before you buy:
- Data and days: enough data for your whole stay. Family visits often last weeks, so look past the 7-day plans.
- Countries covered: Bangladesh only, or Bangladesh plus the Gulf or India if you stop over on the way.
- Network: the local network the eSIM uses. Coverage is best where that network is strong.
- Top-ups: so you can add data instead of buying a new eSIM.
- When the days start: ideally when you land, not when you buy or install it.
- Phone number: most travel eSIMs are data only. Decide if you really need a Bangladeshi number.
- Your phone: it must support eSIM and be unlocked.
Our eSIMs for Bangladesh: the details
SimOptions sells eight Bangladesh plans, and Bangladesh is also on our Asia plans. Here is what they offer, from the plan details on our pages:
- Bangladesh plans: 1 GB or 3 GB for 3 days, 5 GB or 10 GB for 7 days, 20 GB for 15 days, 50 GB for 30 days, 60 GB for 90 days and 100 GB for 180 days.
- Network: our Bangladesh page lists Banglalink, on 4G/LTE.
- Asia plans: 26 countries, including Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. 1 GB lasts 7 days, 3 GB to 30 GB last 30 days, and 50 GB lasts 60 days.
- Calls and SMS: none. All these plans are data only, with no phone number.
- Activation: once installed, the eSIM activates automatically when you arrive in a covered country. Your days start then.
- Top-ups: available.
- Expiry: if you don't use the eSIM within a year of buying it, it becomes invalid.
Every plan is prepaid with no contract, and your QR code comes by email.
Which eSIM is best for your Bangladesh trip?
Start with how long you stay. Then check if you spend time in other countries on the way.
A week or less: Bangladesh 5GB or 10GB
A short business trip to Dhaka or Chattogram, or a few days at the beach in Cox's Bazar? The 5 GB and 10 GB plans last 7 days. That covers maps, ride apps, messages and video calls home.
Two weeks: Bangladesh 20GB
Two weeks of family visits, a wedding, or a trip from Dhaka to the tea gardens of Sylhet? Bangladesh 20GB lasts 15 days. That's enough for daily maps, social media, photos and regular video calls.
A month to six months: Bangladesh 50GB, 60GB or 100GB
Spending a long summer or Eid with family, or working from Bangladesh for a while? Bangladesh 50GB lasts 30 days, 60GB lasts 90 days and 100GB lasts 180 days. You can also top up instead of buying a new eSIM.
Bangladesh plus a stopover in the Gulf or India
A Bangladesh plan only works in Bangladesh. If you spend a few days in Dubai or Doha on the way, or carry on to India or Sri Lanka, one Asia plan covers all of them, so you don't swap eSIMs between countries. When we checked our pages, the Bangladesh plans cost less than the Asia plans of the same size, so for a Bangladesh-only trip they are the better buy. More on the region in our guide to the best eSIM for Asia.
Stopping in the Gulf or India as well as Bangladesh? This plan covers 26 countries for 30 days.
You need a phone number
Our Bangladesh and Asia plans are data only. You can still call and text over data with apps like WhatsApp or FaceTime, see how to make calls with a data-only eSIM. Your home SIM stays on your phone too, so you keep getting texts and bank codes on your usual number. If you need a Bangladeshi number, you need a line from a local operator (see below).
Does Bangladesh have eSIM? Local operators
Yes, Bangladesh has eSIM. Grameenphone was the first operator to offer it, in 2022 (The Business Standard). Banglalink followed in December 2022 and Robi in February 2023. All three sell eSIMs with a local number, but you get them through the operator, not as a quick online purchase:
- Grameenphone: at its Experience Centres and selected Grameenphone Centres, where you complete biometric registration and ask for an eSIM (The Business Standard).
- Banglalink: at any Banglalink centre (The Daily Star).
- Robi: at a Robi service centre, or by applying online, with biometric verification either way (Prothom Alo).
Local SIMs and eSIMs in Bangladesh are registered with your fingerprints. In 2026 the regulator, BTRC, set out a special procedure for re-issuing a SIM when the owner is abroad or their fingerprints don't match (Prothom Alo). So if you live in Bangladesh and want a local eSIM, go to your operator's centre with your ID. A travel eSIM skips the shop visit and the fingerprint check, but it has no Bangladeshi number.
Mobile coverage in Bangladesh's major cities and top places
Bangladesh has eight divisions, each named after its main city: Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barishal, Rangpur and Mymensingh. Signal is usually strongest in the cities and along main roads. Out in the river delta and the mangroves it can be weak or missing. Here is what to expect in the places many visitors go.
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital and the largest city, and most international flights land here. Its old town is packed with history: Lalbagh Fort from the Mughal era, the Star Mosque with its star mosaics, the Dhakeshwari Temple and Ahsan Manzil, the Pink Palace on the Buriganga River. Traffic is heavy, so data for maps and ride apps saves you time. The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) notes that ride apps like Uber work in Bangladesh, but drivers generally only accept cash.
Chattogram (Chittagong)
Chattogram, southeast of Dhaka, is the country's main seaport and the gateway to the southeast. Foy's Lake is a man-made lake with boat rides, and the Ethnological Museum tells the story of Bangladesh's ethnic groups. East of the city lie the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The FCDO advises against all but essential travel there, so check the advice before you plan a trip into the hills.
Cox's Bazar
Cox's Bazar is known for its sandy beach, which runs for about 120 km along the Bay of Bengal. Himchari National Park, just south of town, has forest and small waterfalls. The town has signal, and you can share your beach photos as you go. South of Cox's Bazar are the Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhia and Teknaf: the FCDO says you may need permission to travel there.
Sylhet and Srimangal
The Sylhet region in the northeast is tea country. Srimangal, often called the tea capital of Bangladesh, is home to the Bangladesh Tea Research Institute, with tea gardens on the hills all around. Signal is fine in town, but it can drop on rural roads and in the forest, so download maps before you head out.
The Sundarbans
The Sundarbans, on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers, is one of the largest mangrove forests in the world and home to the Bengal tiger. Its Bangladesh part became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Most visitors explore it on a guided boat trip. Expect little or no signal deep in the forest, so tell your family you'll be offline for a while.
Safety and travel advice
The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban), and says you must give the authorities 10 days' notice to visit. It warns that the situation near the Myanmar border can change at short notice, and that flash floods and landslides have affected parts of the country, including Cox's Bazar and Sylhet (FCDO: Bangladesh regional risks). It also says political rallies can quickly turn violent, and that road and ferry travel carry real risks (FCDO: Bangladesh safety and security). Keep your hosts' addresses and phone numbers saved offline, and check your own government's advice before you book.
Other ways to get connected in Bangladesh
A SimOptions eSIM isn't your only option. Here is a fair look at the others.
A local SIM or eSIM
You get a Bangladeshi number and local rates. The downside: you need a visit to the operator's centre and a fingerprint check, so you can't set it up before you fly. A travel eSIM is ready when you land.
Other eSIM apps
Many eSIM sellers have Bangladesh plans too, and most are data only. Compare them on the same points as above: data, days, network, countries covered, top-ups and when the days start.
Your home carrier's roaming
Check your own plan before you buy anything. Look up what your carrier charges per day or per MB in Bangladesh. If roaming is expensive, a Bangladesh eSIM next to your home line gives you local data at a fixed prepaid price. Turn off data roaming on your home line so it can't use data abroad. More tips in our guide on how to avoid roaming charges.
How much data do you need in Bangladesh?
It depends on how you use your phone. Wi-Fi at your family's home or your hotel helps, but don't count on it everywhere. As a rough guide:
- 3 to 7 days: 1 GB to 10 GB, for maps, ride apps and messages.
- 2 weeks: 20 GB, enough for social media, photos and video calls.
- A month or more: 50 GB to 100 GB, or more if you work online.
Running low? Top up the same eSIM. Tips to stretch your data: how to reduce data usage abroad.
How to set up your Bangladesh eSIM
- Check eSIM support. Dial *#06#. If your phone shows an EID number, it supports eSIM. On iPhone, eSIM works on the iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and later (Apple: Using Dual SIM with an eSIM). iPhones from the iPhone 14 on that were bought in the US have no SIM tray at all, so an eSIM is the only way to add a line (Apple: Identify your iPhone model).
- Check that your phone is unlocked. A phone locked to a carrier only accepts that carrier's eSIMs. See how to unlock your phone.
- Install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi before you fly. On iPhone, scan the QR code with the Camera app, or on iOS 17.4 and later press and hold the code in the email and choose Add eSIM (Apple: Set up eSIM on iPhone). Step by step for iPhone and Android: how to install an eSIM.
- When you land, choose the travel eSIM for mobile data and turn on data roaming for it. On iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular (or Mobile Data) > Cellular Data and pick the travel eSIM.
- Turn off data roaming on your home line, so it can't use data abroad.
Using two lines at once is easy once you know where the settings are: see how to set up and manage a dual eSIM. No signal after you land? Our guide on what to do when your eSIM is not activating walks you through the usual causes.
FAQs
What is the best eSIM for Bangladesh?
The one that fits your trip. For Bangladesh only, a Bangladesh eSIM gives you the most data for your money: 5 GB or 10 GB for a week, 20 GB for two weeks, 50 GB for a month, and up to 100 GB for six months. If you also stop in the Gulf or India, an Asia eSIM covers 26 countries on one plan.
Does Bangladesh have eSIM?
Yes. Grameenphone, Banglalink and Robi all offer eSIMs, which you get through the operator with a fingerprint check. Travel eSIMs bought online also work in Bangladesh on a local network. Ours uses Banglalink.
How do I get an eSIM in Bangladesh?
For a local number, visit your operator's centre with your ID and complete the biometric registration. Robi also lets you apply online. For a data-only travel eSIM, buy it online, install it at home and it connects when you land.
Does an eSIM work on iPhone in Bangladesh?
Yes, on the iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and later, as long as the iPhone is unlocked. Install the eSIM before you fly and turn on data roaming for it when you land.
Can I get a Bangladeshi phone number with an eSIM?
Not with our plans, which are data only. For a Bangladeshi number, get a line from a local operator. You can call over data with WhatsApp or FaceTime instead.
What are the major cities in Bangladesh?
Dhaka is the capital and largest city. The other division cities are Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barishal, Rangpur and Mymensingh. Cox's Bazar and Srimangal are popular with visitors too.
When does my Bangladesh eSIM start counting days?
The plan activates automatically when you arrive in Bangladesh, so your days start on arrival, not when you buy or install it.
