Receive SMS Online for Bangladesh

What to use for verification codes instead

Bangladesh numbers carry voice service only. SMS on a virtual number depends on the local carrier and regulator supporting text messaging for that number type, and in Bangladesh that support is not available to us — or to any other provider. A US or UK number receives SMS verification codes from most services and works from anywhere in the world — you do not need to be in that country.

Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Belgium, Brazil, Ireland, Lithuania, South Africa, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands also support SMS.

About Bangladesh Mobile Numbers

Mobile numbers in Bangladesh start with 01 followed by a carrier-identifying digit: 013 and 017 are Grameenphone, 016 is Robi, 015 and 018 are Banglalink, 019 is Teletalk. When dialing from abroad, drop the leading 0 — so a 017 number becomes +880 17 followed by the eight-digit subscriber number. Landlines use regional codes: Dhaka is 2, Chittagong is 31, Sylhet is 821. Fixed lines are relatively rare in homes but still found in offices, shops, and institutions. The practical reality is that most people are far more reachable on mobile, and Bangladeshis are accustomed to calls arriving on their cell at almost any hour. Voicemail is uncommon; an unanswered call is typically followed by a return call once the person is free.

Timing and Cost Tips for Bangladesh (Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna)

Landlines in Dhaka and other cities are cheaper per minute than mobiles when calling from abroad, and for long conversations with a business, the fixed line is the economical choice. Bangladesh runs on UTC+6 with no daylight saving, which puts it ahead of most European callers by five or six hours — morning calls from Europe land in the Bangladeshi afternoon. The workweek is Sunday through Thursday; Friday is the day of prayer and most people are unreachable for any professional matter. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha each bring several days of near-total unavailability, and the days leading up to them see reduced office attendance. For the Bangladeshi diaspora calling family, evening calls Bangladesh time — after dinner, around 9 to 10 PM local — tend to catch people at home and willing to talk.