Before you start

Passport with a valid Bangladeshi visa
Physical presence at an operator's customer care centre for biometric capture
An unlocked handset
A Gazipur address, for fixed broadband

Step-by-step

1
Register at an operator's own customer care centre
Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and Teletalk run centres around Chandana Chowrasta and Tongi. Foreign passport registration is not something a small retailer can process, and going to the operator directly avoids a wasted trip.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Expect biometric capture and know the two-SIM passport ceiling
BTRC's framework caps registrations against a passport, driving licence or birth certificate at two, against a much higher figure for a Bangladeshi national ID. The commission has been tightening the NID ceiling too, so confirm the current numbers at the counter rather than trusting a published figure.
In personWho: You
3
Set up bKash or Nagad immediately after the SIM
Mobile financial services are tied to the SIM and carry a great deal of everyday payment here — an industrial district runs largely on cash and mobile money rather than cards. Doing this in week one changes daily life more than the bank account does.
Mobile appWho: YouWeek 1–2
4
Ask which fixed broadband provider serves the building, and confirm with them
Bangladesh's ISP market is fragmented and coverage is building-by-building. Gazipur benefits from sitting in the greater Dhaka footprint, so the choice is wider than in a divisional city, but a landlord's 'internet is available' still means nothing without an operator name. Confirm directly, particularly if you work from home.
OnlineWho: YouBefore signing a lease
5
Plan for outages, and for industrial load
Load shedding still occurs at summer peak demand, and an industrial district's demand profile is not a residential one. A UPS on the router and a charged mobile hotspot are standard equipment for anyone whose work depends on a connection.
In personWho: You
6
Expect network congestion during the Bishwa Ijtema
Millions of people concentrated on the Turag bank at Tongi for several days in January or February puts real load on the local networks. If those dates matter for your work, do not rely on mobile data in or near Tongi during them.
Mobile appWho: YouJanuary–February

Documents you’ll need

Passport with valid visa
Fingerprints, captured at the counter
Proof of Gazipur address, for fixed broadband

Things most newcomers don’t know

Two SIMs is the ceiling against a passport, and that applies to foreigners specifically.

BTRC's registration framework distinguishes by identity document: a Bangladeshi national ID card supports a substantial number of registrations, while a passport, driving licence or birth certificate supports no more than two. For a foreign resident without an NID, two is the practical limit. BTRC has also been reducing the NID ceiling, so treat any published number as needing confirmation at the counter.

Source: Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission

Being inside the greater Dhaka footprint is Gazipur's one clear infrastructure advantage.

On almost every axis — transit, hospitals, visa offices — Gazipur is worse served than a divisional capital of a quarter its size. Telecoms is the exception: it sits in the capital's coverage and ISP market, so mobile data is solid and the fixed broadband choice is genuinely wider than in Khulna or Rajshahi. If you work remotely part of the time, this is the thing that makes it viable.

Source: community-reported

The SIM gates mobile money, and mobile money runs the industrial economy here.

bKash and Nagad registration is tied to the mobile number and the identity document behind it. In a district where a large share of payment is cash or mobile transfer rather than card — worker wages, small merchants, transport, household staff — mobile money is how you actually pay for things. That makes the SIM the first errand on arrival, before the bank account.

Source: community-reported

Registration is biometric and there is no anonymous SIM.

BTRC runs a central biometric verification platform and SIMs are bound to an identity document at activation. Buying a pre-registered SIM from a shop means using a number registered to someone else, which is unlawful and a real problem if anything happens on that number — including that you cannot then register mobile financial services in your own name against it.

Source: Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming you can hold as many SIMs as a Bangladeshi colleague.
Trying to register a foreign passport at a neighbourhood retailer rather than an operator centre.
Buying a pre-registered SIM and then being unable to open bKash in your own name.
Signing a lease without a named broadband provider and confirmed capacity.
Relying on mobile data around Tongi during the Bishwa Ijtema.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.