DESCO vs DPDC vs NESCO vs BREB
If you're not sure which company supplies your meter, this guide compares DESCO, DPDC, NESCO, BPDB and BREB — coverage areas, rates, and which one is generally cheaper.
Bangladesh has six electricity distributors — and you don't get to pick
A practical breakdown of who supplies whom, what's actually different between them, and where the popular folklore is wrong.
The short version
- Tariff per unit is identical across all six distributors — BERC sets one national rate schedule
- Differences are in prepaid availability, service speed, and meter rent — not in the price of electricity
- You don't choose a distributor — your address determines who supplies you
The map
The six companies and their service areas
Bangladesh’s grid is split into six retail distribution territories, none of which overlap:
DESCO
1.4Mconnections
DPDC
1.5Mconnections
BREB
35Mconnections
- DESCO — North Dhaka, Tongi, Gazipur city
- DPDC — South Dhaka, Narayanganj
- NESCO — Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions (north-west)
- BPDB Retail — Chittagong, Sylhet, Khulna urban areas
- WZPDCL — Khulna division urban
- BREB (palli bidyut samitis) — all rural areas through 80+ samitis
The honest truth
Are the rates really identical?
Yes for the energy charge. BERC publishes a single national tariff order. The slabs and rates printed on a DESCO bill are identical to the slabs and rates on a DPDC, NESCO, or BREB bill. You can verify this by stacking actual bills from different companies side by side.
Prepaid availability
Smart prepaid meters: who has them
DESCO has the highest prepaid penetration — most new residential connections in North Dhaka are smart prepaid. DPDC is rapidly catching up in South Dhaka. NESCO and BPDB are still majority postpaid. BREB has a hybrid model with prepaid in newer connections only.
Customer service
What's actually different in practice
DESCO — most digitised
DPDC — close second
NESCO — mostly paper
BPDB Retail
BREB samitis
The big myth
Where you can't choose
You don’t pick your distribution company. Bangladesh assigns by service area — your address falls inside exactly one company’s territory, and that’s who supplies you. If you move, the new company will issue a new connection. The only choice you have, if you’re a high-load consumer at the boundary of LT and MT (~50 kW sanctioned), is to negotiate which tension level your service runs at.
Frequently asked questions
Read next
Find my distributor
Pick your district and area type to find which of Bangladesh's six electricity distributors serves you — then jump straight to that company's official hotline, bill portal and apps.
Consumer categories
The category on your meter (LT-A, LT-B, LT-C, LT-D, LT-E, MT, HT, EHT) decides what you pay. Here's exactly what each one means and who qualifies.
Low Tension (LT) rates
LT-A, LT-B, LT-C, LT-D and LT-E rates — the categories most homes and shops fall under.
Official links & apps
The real, verified official websites, bill portals and mobile apps for all six Bangladesh electricity distributors — so you never get caught by a look-alike or out-of-date clone.