A2P SMS regulations in Bangladesh.
Compliance with the BTRC.
A2P SMS in Bangladesh is regulated by the BTRC (Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission). Commercial traffic is sent under a registered, branded sender-ID "mask" provisioned through the operators (Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and Teletalk), with content approval and BTRC anti-spam directives. Marketing needs consent and an opt-out, and a dedicated data-protection statute is still in draft.
Who regulates A2P SMS in Bangladesh?
Telecom services in Bangladesh are regulated by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) under the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation Act, 2001. The BTRC licenses the operators, issues directives on bulk/commercial SMS, masking and unsolicited messages, and sets consumer-protection expectations. A2P traffic is carried and enforced through the licensed mobile operators.
- Regulator: BTRC (btrc.gov.bd).
- Governing law: Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation Act, 2001.
- BTRC directs operators on masking and anti-spam.
- Enforced through Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and Teletalk.
Sender-ID (masking) registration
Commercial A2P messages are delivered under a registered, branded sender-ID "mask" that identifies the business, provisioned through the operators via a corporate/bulk-SMS agreement and supporting documents. The mask should reflect the registered brand, and content is typically reviewed against the declared use case. Unregistered or unmasked bulk traffic and international grey routes are liable to be blocked.
- Branded sender-ID mask registered through the operators.
- Mask should match the registered brand name.
- Content reviewed/approved against the declared use case.
- Unregistered masks and grey-route traffic are blocked.
Promotional vs. transactional messages
Marketing/promotional SMS carries the strictest consent and content obligations, while transactional/service messages — OTPs, banking alerts, delivery and account notifications — are tied to an existing customer relationship. Both are delivered under a registered mask, but promotional traffic must respect consent, opt-out and any timing guidance the operators apply, and should be kept separate from transactional flows.
- Promotional: consent, opt-out and content rules apply.
- Transactional/service (OTP, alerts): existing-relationship messages.
- Both delivered under a registered sender-ID mask.
- Keep marketing and transactional traffic on separate masks.
Content and anti-spam rules
The BTRC has issued directives to curb unsolicited and nuisance SMS, and operators filter content that is unlawful, fraudulent, obscene, or otherwise prohibited. Subscribers can report spam, and persistent senders of unsolicited messages risk blocking. Content should be lawful, non-deceptive and consistent with the registered mask and use case.
- BTRC directives target unsolicited / nuisance SMS.
- Unlawful, fraudulent or obscene content is prohibited.
- Subscribers can report spam; persistent spammers are blocked.
- Content should match the registered mask and use case.
Consent, opt-out and unsolicited messages
Marketing should go only to recipients who have consented, with a clear, free opt-out that is honoured, and operators/BTRC have supported do-not-disturb-style controls letting subscribers reduce promotional messages. Sending marketing to those who have opted out is treated as spam. Maintain suppression lists and auditable consent records for every campaign.
- Obtain consent before promotional sends.
- Offer a free, honoured opt-out.
- Do-not-disturb-style controls let subscribers cut promotional SMS.
- Keep suppression lists and consent records.
Data protection: statute in draft
Bangladesh does not yet have a comprehensive data-protection law in force; a Data Protection Act has been in draft and is expected to introduce consent, purpose-limitation, data-subject-rights and cross-border-transfer obligations once enacted. Until it is in force, treat consent capture and careful handling of subscribers' personal data as best practice, and confirm the current legal position as it evolves.
- No comprehensive data-protection law yet in force.
- A Data Protection Act has been in draft.
- Expected: consent, purpose limitation, data-subject rights.
- Confirm the current position — the framework is evolving.
Enforcement and operator landscape
The BTRC enforces through operator-level blocking of unregistered masks and non-compliant/grey-route traffic, spam-complaint handling and directives to the operators. Bangladesh has four mobile operators — Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and Teletalk — and reaching all subscribers means registering the mask with each. Confirm current registration fees, documents and timelines with your operator at onboarding.
- Enforcement: mask/traffic blocking and spam-complaint handling.
- Directives issued to the operators by the BTRC.
- Four operators: Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink, Teletalk.
- Confirm current fees, documents and timelines at registration.
- Submit your KYC packTrade licence, authorisation letter and sample messages
- BroadNet files the applicationWith the operators or the regulator, as the market requires
- Review and approvalTypical lead time5-10 business days
- Send under your brandYour approved sender ID on every message
Technical facts for Bangladesh
Network codes, message lengths and sender-ID rules in one table. Segment lengths are the GSM standard values (3GPP TS 23.038).
| Mobile country code (MCC) | 470 |
|---|---|
| Dialling code | +880 |
| Operators (MCC-MNC) |
|
| SMS length, GSM-7 (Latin alphabet) | 160 characters in a single SMS; 153 per part when concatenated |
| SMS length, UCS-2 (Arabic, Cyrillic and other scripts) | 70 characters in a single SMS; 67 per part when concatenated |
| Regulator | BTRC (Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission) |
| Sender-ID rules | BTRC sender ID registration via the operator. Bangla (UCS-2) and English both supported. |
| Sender-ID lead time | 5-10 business days |
Sources
Last reviewed
More on Bangladesh
Compare A2P SMS rules across the region.
Each market pairs a regulatory playbook with its live coverage and operator-direct routing detail.
Bangladesh rules: promotional vs. transactional SMS
| Capability | Promotional / marketing | Transactional / service (OTP, alerts) |
|---|---|---|
| Registered sender-ID mask required | ||
| Prior consent required | — | |
| Free opt-out required | — | |
| Content approval / declared use case | ||
| Local licensed routing (no grey routes) | ||
| Existing customer relationship expected | — |
Common questions
Do I need to register a sender ID (mask) in Bangladesh?
Who regulates commercial SMS in Bangladesh?
What's the difference between promotional and transactional SMS?
Can I use an international (grey) route to save cost?
Is there a data protection law covering SMS in Bangladesh?
How do subscribers stop unwanted marketing SMS?
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