DHAKA, Aug 4, 2026 (BSS) - Robi Axiata said sustained investment, stronger corporate governance and an expanding digital business have driven steady financial and operational growth since its stock market debut in 2020, as the country's second-largest mobile operator sought to reassure investors of its long-term strategy amid Bangladesh's evolving telecom landscape.

At a media briefing titled "Five Years in the Stock Market: Governance Excellence Driving Performance" held at a city hotel today, Robi Managing Director and CEO Ziad Shatara said the company has maintained consistent revenue and profit growth while expanding its subscriber base, digital services and network over the past five years.

Since its listing in 2020, then described as the country's largest initial public offering (IPO), Robi added 76.7 lakh subscribers, 1.1 crore internet users and 2.55 crore 4G users.

Between the end of 2020 and June 2026, the operator recorded the highest active subscriber additions in the market, he said.

Robi posted year-on-year growth in both revenue and profit after tax from 2021 to 2025 and maintained the trend in the first half of 2026, when profit after tax increased 29 percent from the corresponding period a year earlier.

By the second quarter of 2026, the company's active subscriber base reached 5.86 crore. Internet users accounted for 78.9 percent of total subscribers while 4G users represented 72 percent, both the highest proportions in the industry, according to the company. Monthly data usage exceeded 10 gigabytes per data user.

Shatara said Robi generated Tk 2,819.13 crore in cumulative profit after tax from 2021 through the first half of 2026 and distributed Tk 2,854.67 crore in dividends during the period, adding that dividend growth remained aligned with improvements in earnings per share.

The operator also reported improving profitability. EBITDA margin rose by 11.6 percentage points from 2020 to reach 54.2 percent in the first half of 2026, while operating profit margin increased to 23.1 percent in the second quarter of 2026 from 14.1 percent when the company entered the capital market.

As customer demand increasingly shifted towards digital services, data revenue accounted for 44.4 percent of total revenue in the first half of 2026, compared with 36 percent in 2020, nearly matching voice revenue and marking the highest share in the industry, he said.

Supporting that expansion required sustained capital spending. Robi invested Tk 9,331.36 crore in network expansion between 2021 and the first half of 2026, excluding spectrum costs. During the period, the number of its 4G sites increased from 13,173 to 19,646, while spectrum holdings expanded 3.4 times to 124 MHz.

Shatara said the company's local procurement also increased, with spending on domestic vendors rising to 78.1 percent in 2025 from 57 percent in 2020, contributing to the development of Bangladesh's local supply chain.

He said innovation remains central to the company's strategy, highlighting that its bdapps platform now hosts more than 125,000 applications developed by 145,000 developers, who have collectively earned around Tk 280 crore since the platform's launch.

Beyond telecommunications, he said, bdtickets now serves more than 80,000 travellers every day through a network of more than 150 bus operators, while Axentec, supported by RedDot Digital's technology capabilities and global partnerships, is helping organisations accelerate digital transformation. RedDot has also strengthened Robi's in-house technology capabilities.

Artificial intelligence has become an important part of Robi's operations, helping optimise network planning, personalise products and improve customer experience, Shatara said. Around 2.28 crore customers now use the company's self-care applications, enabling more efficient and personalised digital services.

He said Robi continues to strengthen data governance to protect customer privacy, guard against cyber threats and ensure the responsible development and deployment of artificial intelligence.

Shatara said robust corporate governance has remained the foundation of the company's long-term growth strategy, with four Board committees providing oversight as Robi pursues its goal of advancing Bangladesh's digital transformation while creating sustainable value for shareholders.