Executive Summary:

This term paper is prepared over the telecommunication sector of Bangladesh. In this term paper
we discuss about all the companies that are currently running their business in market. Any one
can easily get the idea about all the companies as well as the current market situation in
telecommunication sector. In this term paper we mainly focus on each of the companys product
and promotional activities, their operations and also about the services to customers. By studying
this term paper any one have the clear idea about different product of different companies that
are currently available in this market.
Objectives of the Term Paper
Main object of this term paper is to know about the Telecommunication Industry in
Bangladesh. Continuous Improvement of customer satisfactions and resource management.
Methodology
We have conducted the literature search connected to the topic to support and direct the research.
This search was mainly conducting on the University databases, Journal databases, Library
Journals, websites and Textbooks.
We have searched the databases provided by University library access, like Emerald, Business
Insight, ABI/Inform, Global Information Inc (professional Research reports) and search engines
like Google scholar and university special search engine connected to all databases and
textbooks. The key words mainly used were Bangladesh Telecom industry, Telecom future,
Trends in Telecom, Bangladesh telecom Market.
In the full range of articles and journals on the subject of internationals marketing, investing in a
new market, the We have found one of them very useful on the subject of Bangladesh Telecom
Brief 2004 This paper tells the inside of offering and the potential what Bangladesh market
offers, not exactly the same subject but one major side of our paper has the subject of same
interest.
The Theoretical Framework has been created with the help of some text books on International
Marketing and marketing in general. Text books of marketing such as International marketing
by Cateora & Ghauri (2006), Internationall Marketing by Bennett & Blythe (2002) and On
Competition of Porter M. (1998) has been used for this project.
Limitations
This report is not out of some limitations. Throughout the report we have faced a lot of problems.
Some of this are

Limitations regarding appropriate locations

Lack of information on recent wind speed.

No definite government rules regarding about company Act etc.

Primary data are not available enough

Introduction
The liberalization of Bangladeshs telecommunications sector began with small steps in 1989
with the issuance of a license to a private operator for the provision of inter alia cellular mobile
services to compete with the previous monopoly provider of telecommunications services the
Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB). Significant changes in the number of fixed
and mobile services deployed in Bangladesh occurred in the late 1990s and the number of
services in operation has subsequently grown exponentially in the past five years.
The incentives both from government and public sectors have helped to grow this sector. It is
now one of the biggest sector of Bangladesh. As a populous country, its huge market has
attracted many foreign investors to invest in this sector.
Telecom Infrastructure in Bangladesh
Many foreign investors are now interested to do business in telecom sector in Bangladesh which
reveals that Bangladesh has become a significant hub for telecoms. It has been forecasted that the
average revenue from telecoms sector will be Tk1500crore2 a year. Bangladesh is a country
which is densely populated and also is a flat and easily extends able coverage. The infrastructure
and Tele-density is low which on the other hand made the market a perfect place for telecom
business. The demand is very high and the consumer base is very large but the investment is low
because of the topographic layout. The government has a receptive foreign investment policy
with no restrictions on repatriation of profit. Even though the current infrastructure is not much
developed but it is suitable for foreign investment.
Bangladesh has a huge potential in WiMax and submarine cable which is a new technology in
the country and has attracted the foreign telecom operators. Many foreign telecom operators are
coming to Bangladesh to explore the potentiality of the technology. Some interested international
telecom operators who want to start a business in Bangladesh are UK-based Orange Telecom,
South Korean SK Telecom and UAEs Etisalat.
The government is encouraging private sector to invest more in the industry as they think that the
industry is playing a vital role in developing the socioeconomic structure of the country. And to
ensure that, the government has taken several attempt. Giving private sector the license for fixed
line telephone is one of those attempts. Due to the environmental facts, the foreign entrants
should adjust their equipments according to demand of the environment
Mobile Price War

According to Mr Shah, the entry of Banglalink in February 2005 has sparked a price war.
Banglalinks attractive launch offer included a new connection and handset at a low start-up cost
of US$51. Following Banglalink, three other private operators Grameen Phone, Robi and
CityCell have also come up with various value-added offers resulting in an intense price battle.
The development of a competitive mobile phone market is expected to prompt an easing in
cellphone tariffs going forward, after years of escalation in what was a captive market.
Consumers will also benefit from cheaper connection and call rates.
State-owned operator Teletalk, however, is expected to struggle in this new environment as it is
still grappling with poor network coverage and inefficient management.
New SIM Tax
Controversially, the countrys 2004/05 annual budget (delivered in June 2005) imposed a tax of
US$18 on each new SIM card connection, raising a huge furore among cellphone operators.
Operators think that the new tax will pose a serious entry hurdle for low-income earners and will
significantly stifle growth expectations.
According to the latest figures from BIS Shrapnel research, the sale of mobile phone connections
has picked up after an initial slowdown in June and July 2006. The tax on SIM cards was revised
to US$13.50 in August in response to fierce demands from operators
Mobile Handset Market
In tandem with the growing subscriber base, sales of mobile handsets has increased at a
phenomenal pace. However, nearly 70% of mobile handsets available in the local market have
been entering through informal channels, depriving the Government and importers of a huge
amount of revenue each year. In a serious bid to turn around this drastic situation, the Bangladesh
Government reduced the tax on mobile handset imports from US$22.50 to only US$4.50 in mid
2005. Mr Shah explains that although this initiative has revived the situation to a certain extent,
the effect on the grey market has not been as significant as was expected by distributors and
importers.
Interviews conducted by BIS Shrapnel with leading distributors reveal that the grey market is
currently holding around 40% market share, but they are hopeful this will diminish over the
coming months.
According to BIS Shrapnel research, Bangladeshs mobile handset market is dominated by firsttime users (nearly 85%), as the country is still in its infancy in terms of mobile phone usage.
Further, 80% of the handset market is dominated by ultra-low to low-end handsets, available for
less than US$68, due to the countrys low per capita income levels.
As with many other Asia-Pacific countries, the Bangladesh mobile handset market is
predominantly captured by global handset giant Nokia (approximately 52% market share)
followed by Siemens.

Mr Shah explains that the success of these two vendors can be attributed to excellent handset
quality, ease of use, an efficient sales and distribution network, dedicated after-sales service, and
regular launches of low-priced handsets to meet market demand.
The Mobile World Statistics
According to The Mobile World, at the end of Q3 2005, the countrys penetration has just nudged
over 5% with 7.3 million customers. Grameen Phone is the market leader with 4.2 million
customers. Number two in the market is Robil (Telekom Malaysia) with just over 2 million
customers. Sheba Telecom has just over 600,000 customers while Pacific Bangladesh Telecom
has just over 300,000 customers and Teletalk Bangladesh picks up the tail with 120,000
customers. Airtel Telecom had not reported figures at the time.
OVERVIEW OF MOBILE TELECOM MARKET IN BANGLADESH:
Currently there are 6 mobile operators in Bangladesh. They are namely

Grameenphone Joint venture ownership 62%Telenor and 38%Grameen Telecom .

Banglalink Joint venture with Orascom Telecom Co. originated from Egypt.

Robi Joint venture between Telecom Malaysia Berhad TM and A. K. Khan& company
limited

Waried Telecom An investment of Dubai and Abu Dhabi Group UAE.

TeleTalk Public limited company but 100% share have been owned by the government
of Bangladesh.

Citycell Joint venture with SingTel Asia pacific investment Pvt. limited.

Over the last two to three years, the number of mobile subscribers in Bangladesh has been more
than or close to more than doubling on an annual basis. By end-2007, the subscriber base had
reached 34 million and was continuing to grow at an annual rate of around 60%. With the
momentum that has been developed on the back of the governments deregulation process, the
strong growth seemed likely to continue. The entry of new operators into the market has
certainly helped to further boost the competitive environment. This report describes how the
mobile market is growing and the impact this is having on the developing nation, as well as
providing an outline of the main players. The report also has a brief overview of the TV
broadcasting sector.
Consumer demand in Bangladesh makes the mobile market one of the fastest growing markets in
the world. During first six months of 2007, Bangladesh recorded 7.7 million (1.3 million/month)
subscribers. At this pace, the expected mobile subscribers by the end of 2007 were 35 million
and a market penetration of around 25%, signifying year-on-year growth of up to 70%. The

following figure can give an over view of the potential market of Bangladesh in near future.
(Telecom Insight 2007)
The rivals and their brief profile:
Now we will see the brief company profile of these rivals:
grameen phone

Grameenphone is a GSM (global system of mobile communication)-based cellular operator in

Bangladesh. It has started operations on March 26, 1997. It is partly owned by Telenor (62%)
and Grameen Telecom (38%). Grameenphone is the largest mobile phone company in
Bangladesh with 23.04 million customers as of october, 2008. It is also one the fastest growing
cellular telephone network in Bangladesh. At the end of 2008, it had about 5200 BTS (Base
Tower Stations) around the country. Grameenphones stated goal is to provide cost-effective and
quality cellular services in Bangladesh. On the 16th of November, 2006 GP formally changed its
logo to match its parent company Telenors logo. According to GP the new logo symbolizes trust,
reliability, quality and constant progress. Grameenphone has already picked up 425 core taka of
Non-convertible Senior Coupon Biasing Bond @ interest rate of 14.5 by the help of ten financial
group of the companies. The company is recently going to call for IPO (Initial Public Offering)
to collect capital from share market of the country of 6 core 50 lakh dollar (449 core taka). GP
has submitted the prospectus of proposal for IPO in 12/12/2008 to the chairman of SEC (Security
and Exchange Commission). The name of present CEO of GrameenPhone is Odver Heszedal.
The name Grameenphone was kept as part of the new identity because the name Grameenphone
carries with it all of the heritage, success and values of the companies past, added the then CEO
of Grameenphone Erik Aas.
Hawaii, and Ericsson provides technological support to GrameenPhone. The tower range of GP
exists 5-7 km. The technology used by Grameenphone is 1G (First Generation) which is
supportable to 2G (Second Generation).
>>Products offered
Grameenphone offers subscription in two categories, Prepaid Subscription and Postpaid
Subscription.
>>Prepaid subscriptions are sub-divided into three plans:

1. Smile:
smile (mobile to mobile connectivity within Bangladesh),
smile PSTN (nationwide and international mobile and land line connectivity)
1. djuice (a youth based mobile to mobile connectivity within Bangladesh).
>>Postpaid plan:
xplore (nationwide and international mobile and landline connectivity)
Grameenphone also offers different value-added services including SMS, MMS, Welcome Tunes
(Ringback Tones), Voice SMS, SMS Push-Pull Service, Voice Mail Service (VMS), and Fax and
Data among others. Grameenphone was the first mobile operator in Bangladesh to offer EDGE
services to its subscribers.
>>Other activities
>>Village phone
With the help of Grameenphone, Grameen Telecom operates the national Village Phone
programme, alongside its own parent Grameen Bank and the International Finance Corporation
(IFC), acting as the sole provider of telecommunications services to a number of rural areas.
>>Community Information Centers
Community Information Center (CIC) or GPCIC is aimed at providing internet access and other
communications services to rural areas. In February 2006, 26 CICs were established across the
country as a pilot project. In this project, Grameenphone provides GSM/EDGE/GPRS
infrastructure and technical support and other partners Grameen Telecom.
>>Grameenphone Centers
A grameenphone center (GPC) serves as a one stop solution for customers, with all
telecommunications products and services, under a single roof. A grameenphone center also sells
phones from vendors like Nokia, Samsung, Motorola,Sagem and Benq. EDGE/GPRS modems
and accessories such chargers and headphones are also sold at GPCs.

CSR(Corporate social responsibility):

Grameenpnone focuses its CSR on the field of followings:

1. It contributes its responsibilities toward countries education, empowerment & health
sector.

2. Beautification of the city towns.

3. It is the official sponsor of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
SWOT analysis:
According to the executive opinion we have analyzed the SWOT of the company. According to a
executive of GP theirStrength: Network coverage (94%of total area of the country.) &Total number
of customer.
Weakness: Short term defensive strategy & high call rate, which may hamper
the companys good will & Future competition.
Opportunity: To get link to the up coming technology i.e. Wi-Max.
Threat: Up coming technology may not support the present technological
infrastructure. And Banglalink.

With a slogan of making it difference- banglalink started operations in February 2005.

Previously, it was known as Sheba Telecom Pvt. Ltd that had been providing GSM (global
system of mobile communication) services in Bangladesh since 1998. Orascom Telecom bought
100% share of Sheba Telecom in 2004 and gave its new name as banglalink.
banglalink, is the second largest cellular service provider in Bangladesh. As of August, 2008,
banglalink has a subscriber base of more than 10 million. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Orascom Telecom. banglalink had 1.03 million connections until December, 2005. The number
of banglalink users increased by more than 253 per cent and stood at 3.64 million at the end of
2006, making it the fastest growing operator in the world of that year. In August, 2006,
banglalink became the first company to provide free incoming calls from BTTB for both
postpaid and prepaid connections. banglalink provides its powerful network by 5500(approx)
BTS (Base Tower Stations) is covering 486 Thanas reasonably and 61 districts, covering a total
population of around 90% till mid of 2008. After Govt. withdrawal of the restriction of planting
network infrastructure from the three hilly districts (i.e. Banderbarban, Kagrachori & Rangamati)
banglalink covered the 64 districts within very short time. The name of present CEO (Chief
Executive Officer) of banglalink is Ahmed Abu Domer.

The logo of the company is designed on keeping the national animal i.e. Royal Bangle Tiger in
mind, which symbolize to the faster growth. During the 3rd quartile of this year which means
july-september, 2008 the company earned 524 core BDT. And the companies market expanded to
10.17 million customers. An banglalinks executive opinion about this was, the quality of product
& service and continuous development of network has help them to reach this position. He also
hoped that the customer size of the company will increased to 10.35 million by the end of this
year. banglalink serves their customers with more than 700 CCP(Customer Care Point). Till now
banglalink has invested 6,324 cores BDT. for the development of network and infrastructure.
Nokia-Siemens network & Hawaii provides technological support to banglalink. The tower range
of banglalink exists 5-9 km. in case sometime it varies to about 13-15 km. The technology used
by banglalink is 1G (First Generation) which is supportable to 2G (Second Generation).
Banglalink also has
1500 km. of Fiber Optic cable which gives the surety of good network. During the occasional
periods banglalink ensures much better service than the other operators.
Products Offered
Prepaid Packages
banglalink currently offers two prepaid plans. All the prepaid plans come in two phases
Standard (T&T incoming and outgoing with NWD and ISD) and M2M. All connections provide
GPRS to subscribers.
desh, with the slogan One country, one rate, is one of the cheapest prepaid plans in the country
by tariff.
ladies, first!, with the slogan Shomporker Network (means network of relationship), is tailored
for women.
Postpaid Packages
Currently there are three postpaid plans from banglalink. These packages are called enterprise
personal. All packages come with T&T local, NWD, ISD and e-ISD connectivity.
personal package 1
personal package 2
personal call and control

banglalink enterprise

banglalink enterprise offers a wide range of products and services to suit the needs of the
business community. The current packages are:

 enterprise corporate; targeted at the corporate segment

enterprise SME; targeted at the SME segment
enterprise personal

banglalink CU

banglalink CU package is targeted at the shopkeepers, which offers PCO facility to the general
public. It comes in two varieties:
CU
CU call and control

banglalink point

banglalink points are aimed at providing a complete mobile solution, connections, handsets,
accessories and provide selected customer services like SIM replacement, reconnection, bill
payment etc. They are strategically located at key points around the country. Kallol Group a local
distribution company had partnered with banglalink to operate at least forty banglalink points
through out the country. As of March, 2008, the deal with Kallol Group has been called off and
banglalink is focusing on managing its own customer care centers.

CSR(Corporate social responsibility):

Banglalink focuses its CSR on the field of followings:

1. Tradition & culture of Bengal.
2. Beautification of the city towns.
3. It is the official sponsor of Bangladesh Tourism Corporation.
4. It has under taken the voting campaign to vote for Cox-bazaar and sunder-boon and
cleaning Cox-bazaar.
5. It has provided Trolley for the passengers of ZiaInternationalAirport.
SWOT analysis:
According to the executive opinion we have analyzed the SWOT of the company. According to a
executive of GP theirStrength: Active distribution management and sales personnel & brand

image. And network coverage (95% of total population).

Weakness: Time constant with other companies are not suitable.
Opportunity: Rural market & corporate customers.
Threat: Only time sense.
The executive also emphasized banglalink as best mobile company of the country. And are
capable to be a market leader within short period of time. According to him team sprite, superiorsubordinate relationship, and working environment is excellent. The company is ready to take
any challenges and have the capability to overcome it.

Robi Axiata Limited is a joint venture company between Axiata Group Berhad, Malaysia and
NTT DOCOMO INC, Japan. It was formerly known as Telekom Malaysia International
(Bangladesh) which commenced operations in Bangladesh in 1997 with the brand name ROBI.
On 28th March 2010, the service name was rebranded as Robi and the company came to be
known as Robi Axiata Limited.
Robi is truly a people-oriented brand of Bangladesh. Robi, the peoples champion, is there for the
people of Bangladesh, where they want and the way they want. Having the local tradition at its
core, Robi marches ahead with innovation and creativity.
To ensure leading-edge technology, Robi draws from the international expertise of Axiata and
NTT DOCOMO INC. It supports 2G voice, CAMEL Phase II & III and GPRS/EDGE service
with high speed internet connectivity. Its GSM service is based on a robust network architecture
and cutting edge technology such as Intelligent Network (IN), which provides peace-of-mind
solutions in terms of voice clarity, extensive nationwide network coverage and multiple global
partners for international roaming. It has the widest International Roaming coverage in
Bangladesh connecting 600 operators across more than 200 countries. Its customer centric
solution includes value added services (VAS), quality customer care, easy access call centers,
digital network security and flexible tariff rates.

Products offered

Robi offers an array of different packages. In addition to offering the fundamental pre-paid and
post-paid mobile services, it offers a wide range of value added products and services such as,
SMS, GPRS, mobile data services, infotainment services, SMS banking, Caller Ring Back Tone,
Ringtones download, Picture Messaging, MMS, Voice Greetings, Call Blocking on 4th August
2008, which give subscriber to control which call he or she receive or not and Bengali SMS.

Customer care

ROBI has 19 CustomerCareCenters and 200 Customer Service Points in 61 allowable districts all
over the country. Robi has another 670 Robi Touch Points (ATP) scattered along the most
densely populated areas.

CSR(Corporate social responsibility):

Robi has been offering scholarships to three Bangladeshi students every year for bachelor
courses in engineering, information technology and business administration since 1998 to study
at MultimediaUniversity in Malaysia. It is the founding member of Chittagong Skills
Development Centre (CSDC) that is offering technical training and business management
education through its strategic partnership with Penang Skill Development Centre (PSDC) of
Malaysia and its internal members. It also beautifies the city areas. In 2007 Robi received
Standard Chartered-Financial Express Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Award 2006 for
their significant contributions to CSR and philanthropic activities.
SWOT Analysis
According to the executive opinion we have analyzed the SWOT of the company. According to a
executive of GP theirStrength: Call rate superiority (at present situation.) & network system
Weakness: poor customer service & late response to competitors offer.
Opportunity: great opportunity to expand market by present network
system which adopt the Wi-Max technology.

Threat: other potential GSM network like Airtel(NGN)

Citycell (Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Limited) is the first mobile communications company of
Bangladesh. It is the only CDMA (Code division multiple access) network operator in the
country. As of 1st March, 2008, Citycells total mobile subscriber base is 1.56 million, up 137
per cent or 680,000 from two years ago, giving it the best growth rate of the company till date.
Citycell is currently owned by Singtel with 45% stake and the rest 55% owned by Pacific Group
and Far East Telecom.
In 1989 Bangladesh Telecom Limited (BTL) was awarded a license to operate cellular, paging,
and other wireless communication networks. Then in 1990 Hutchison Bangladesh Telecom
Limited (HBTL) was incorporated in Bangladesh as a joint venture between BTL and Hutchison
Telecommunications (Bangladesh) Limited. HBTL began commercial operation in Dhaka using
the AMPS mobile technology in 1993 and became the 1st cellular operator in South Asia[2].
Later that year Pacific Motors bought 50% of BTL. By 1996 HBTL was renamed as Pacific
Bangladesh Telecom Limited (PBTL) and launched the brand name Citycell Digital to market
its cellular products. Michel Seymour is the present CEO of Citycell
Hawaii, Ericsson & Motorola provides technological support to Citycell. The tower range of
Citycell exists to 5-6 km. in case sometime it varies to about 9 km.(Max.) The technology used
by Citycell is CDMA1X(Code division multiple access). Citycell is consolidating its position in
wireless data by launching their Zoom EV-DO (evaluation data optimize) for the broadband
wireless internet service.
Although CDMA1X technology is the latest technology citycell could not not flourishing the
companies market position although it was the first company to launch Mobile cellular phones.
Executive opinion abut this is that the failure of the policy maker to take right decision in right
time is the main cause . But he also appreciated the policies of present CEO of citycell for
capturing the market position. He also thinks that the countries most Mobile companies are
GSM, so they may induce the GSM union to capture the market.

Products Offered

Citycell offers prepaid, postpaid and fixed phone plans. Since Citycell operates in CDMA, RIMs
are usually sold with a phone mostly cheap Chinese sets produced by ZTE, Huawei, Samsung,
Motorola and Alcatel. Citycell currently has the cheapest phone+connection tariff at 1399 taka.

CustomerCareCenter

There are 6 Customer care centers of Citycell in the country. One for each division and there are
another 500 Customer care Points scattered around the country

Performance

World operator rank by connections : 258th

Market Share : 4.5%

 Market Penetration : 1.1%

[*Data Q2 2008]

CSR(Corporate social responsibility):

Citycell focuses its CSR on the field of followings:

1. It contributes its responsibilities toward countries education, anti-drug & health sector.
2. Beautification of the city towns.
3. It is the official sponsor Bangladesh Football federation.
SWOT analysis:
According to the executive opinion we have analyzed the SWOT of the company. According to a
executive of GP theirStrength: Digital technology CDMA1X. And network coverage (92% of
total population).
Weakness: Failing of making consciousness to the people about CDMA1X
technology.
Opportunity: Broadband wireless technology of EV-DO (evaluation data
optimize). And up coming technologies are supportable to the
present technology.
Threat: GSM technology where people habited with the change of
Handset.

Airtel Bangladeshsales and customer services and their Head Quarters at Tajwar Center in
Banani, Dhaka.
In December 2005, Airtel Telecom International LLC paid US$ 50 million to obtain a GSM
license from the BTRC and became the sixth mobile phone operator in Bangladesh.
In a press conference on August 17, 2006, Airtel announced that its network would be activated
two months ahead of schedule, in October, 2006. Again in October, 2006 Airtel Telecom put off
the launch of its cellphone services in Bangladesh until April, 2007 after its major supplier Nokia
walked out on an agreement over a payment dispute.
Airtel had a soft launch at the end of January 2007. It gave away complimentary subscriptions
among a selected group of individuals, whose job was to make test calls and the operator
adjusted its networks quality based on their comments.
On May 9, 2007, Airtel in an advertisement in some daily newspaper stated that it would be
launching publicly on May 10, 2007. However, no call rate nor any package details were
revealed. The advertisement included an announcement for the people interested to buy Airtel

connections to bring the documents like ID Card, etc., to the designated franchise and customer
care centres.
On October 1, 2007, Airtel Telecom expanded its network to five more districts raising total
number of districts under Airtel coverage to 56, said a press release. Mymensingh, Jamalpur,
Sherpur, Rajbari and Narail towns were covered by Airtel network.
On November 10, 2007, 61 districts under Airtel network coverage.
On June 10, 2008, Airtel Telecom expanded its network to 3 more districts Bandarban,
Khagrachhari and Rangamati. Now all 64 districts of Bangladesh are under Airtel network
coverage meaning Airtel Telecom now has nationwide coverage.
On December 20, 2010, Airtel Telecom was rebranded to airtel.

Products Offered

Airtel provides both post-paid and pre-paid connection plans. The post-paid plan is branded and
marketed across the country under the name Zahi Post-paid, which means leader or royalty. The
pre-paid segment is branded and marketed as Zem Pre-Paid.
The Zem Prepaid category is divided into four segments:
Zem (24 hours)
Zem 1 Sec
Zem Fun
Zem FnF
The Zahi Postpaid category is divided into three segments:
Zahi Royal
Zahi extra
Zahi-Post-paid and Zem Pre-paid user enjoy various value added services(VAS), such as SMS,
MMS, GPRS, 64K SIM, Dual SIM product, Corporate packages for product advertising via
SMS, and a host of other features. However, International Roaming is available only to Zahi
(post-paid) users.

Customer Care Centers and Franchises

Airtel Telecom Franchise.

Airtel has ten customer care centers around the country located at key locations. These centers
are directly run by Airtel itself. Airtel has another 120 franchises spread across Bangladesh, the
largest chain of retail outlets in the country, which is further backed up by a chain of subfranchises, affinity partners & distributors.
SIM Cards, Scratch Cards and sometimes mobile sets are sold at these outlets. Bill collection for
post paid users and Zem top up for pre-paid users can also be availed at the franchises. These
franchises directly appoint dealers and sub-dealers in their designated areas.
SWOT Analysis
According to the executive opinion we have analyzed the SWOT of the company. According to a
executive of GP theirStrength: Customer service & NGN network.
Weakness: Product design & product marketing.
Opportunity: Adopting Wi-Max which will definitely supported by the
3G(NGN) network.
Threat: Other potential competitors.

Teletalk Bangladesh Limited is a public limited company, registered under the Registrar of the
Joint stock companies of Bangladesh. Total shares owned by the Government of the Peoples
Republic
of
Bangladesh.
We continue to grow and engage our customers through our clear commitment to offering high
quality products and services as well as leading customer retention and loyalty programmers.
Teletalk continues to be a part of the revolution thats connecting millions of Bangladeshi people
and around the world.
Teletalk Bangladesh limited was established keeping a specific role in mind. Teletalk has forged
ahead and strengthened its path over the years and achieved some feats truly to be proud of, as
the only Bangladeshi mobile operator and the only operator with 100% native technical and
engineering human resource base, Teletalk thrives to become the true peoples phone Amader

Phone.
Product offered:
Teletalk offers an array of different packages. In addition to offering the fundamental pre-paid
and post-paid mobile services, it offers a wide range of value added products and services such
as, SMS, GPRS, mobile data services, infotainment services, SMS banking, Caller Ring Back
Tone, Ringtones download, Picture Messaging, MMS, Voice Greetings.
The pre-paid packages are Standard
Shapla (Pre-paid)
Shadheen
And the post-paid packages are Standard (rajanigandha)
Shapla (Post-paid)

Teletalk Customer Care Point(CCP)

Teletalk has established their customer care point only in the divisional cities and the big citied
only. In their CCPs they provides free services to their customer and also sells the mobile hand
sets, and mobile accessories.
SWOT Analysis
According to the executive opinion we have analyzed the SWOT of the company. According to a
executive of GP theirStrength: Govt. owned public ltd. Co. & they use the frequency of BTCL
Which is covered all around the country.
Weakness: Poor customer service & bad product design.
Opportunity: great opportunity to expand market by present network
system which adopt the Wi-Max technology.
Threat: other potential GSM companies.

Bangladesh Telecommunications Company

Limited (BTCL)
BTCL or Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited, formerly BTTB, began
operations on July 1, 2008. The Bangladesh government initially owns all shares of BTCL but it
would offload shares in the next one year for public. The value of BTCL is estimated to be at Tk
15,000 crore. BTCL has a total of 12,636 officials and staffs.
In pursuance of an ordinance promulgated by the president on 24 February 1979, the department
was restructured into Bangladesh Telephone and Telegraph Board (BTTB) with a mandate to
provide basic telecommunication services throughout the country. Now it has become BTCL.
BTCL provides land-line telephone services in the urban areas, domestic long-distance calling
and international services. In 2004, Bangladesh Government issued a number of PSTN licenses
but they were barred to provide service in the lucrative Dhaka market (which account for
majority of the nationwide market). This monopoly of BTCL was broken when 6 other operators
started to receive their licenses from 2007. These 6 operators include PeoplesTel, RanksTel,
National Telecom Limited, WorldTel, Dhaka Phone and Telebarta.
BTCL provides dial-up Internet access in all 64 districts of the country, making it the mostaccessible Internet service provider in the country. As of January 2009 its total dial-up subscriber
is 32,433. Since the beginning of 2007 BTCL have improved its Dial-up Internet service for
better customer satisfaction. It also handles the .bd domain.
Forecast about telecommunication market in Bangladesh:
Over the last two to three years, the number of mobile subscribers in Bangladesh has been more
than or close to more than doubling on an annual basis. By end-2007, the subscriber base had
reached 34 million and was continuing to grow at an annual rate of around 60%. With the
momentum that has been developed on the back of the governments deregulation process, the
strong growth seemed likely to continue.
IEMRs Mobile Forecast on Bangladesh provides over 65 operational and financial metrics for
the Bangladesh wireless market. We cover quarterly historical data starting in 1Q2004 and
ending in 1Q2008. We also provide four-year forecasts at the operator level going out to 2010.
Operators covered for Bangladesh include: Bangalink/Sheba (Orascom Tel), GrameenPhone

(Telenor), TM Intl (Telekom Malaysia), PBTL (SingTel), and Airtel BTTB. Our Mobile
Forecasts are updated quarterly and are available for one-time delivery or through regular
updates. Notable highlights of the 3Q08 Bangladesh Mobile Forecast include:
1) Total subscribers in Bangladesh will increase from the projected 46.9 million in 2008 to 58.2
million in 2010. We, therefore, forecast that the level of wireless penetration will increase
steadily in Bangladesh from our projected 29.0% in 2008 to 34.7% in 2010.
2) The level of competition in the wireless market will continue to increase, and the HHI index
will go down from 0.298 in 2008 to 0.285 in 2010. The three largest operators in the country
(Bangalink/Sheba, GrameenPhone, and TM International) will be losing market shares to Airtel.
3) The largest operator in the country will continue to be GrameenPhone (Telenor), but its market
share (by subscribers) will decrease from 45.0% to 42.9% in the forecast period, 2008 ? 2010.
Market penetration should be reached by 50% by the end of 2009 and can be increased by 75%
during the forecasted period. So, according to the forecast, by the year 2011, mobile subscribers
will be 115millions. That sounds like a great potential market. (ibid)
The reality is close to the forecast. According to BTRC, The total number of Mobile Phone
Subscribers has reached 32.33 million at the end of October 2007, when BMIs expectation was
about 35 millions. Mr. Manzurul Alam, Chairman BTRC while answering a question, has given
the latest information. As of April 2008, the total number of mobile phone subscribers stands at
40.34 millions. And the average growth rate falls in the range of 1 million subscribers per month.
Brief about PSTN Operators in Bangladesh:
Beside the six mobile telecommunication companies there are twelve PSTN (public switched
telephone network) companies in Bangladesh. Among these BTTB was only govt. owed
company, which has been converted into Public Ltd. Co. in august this year and now it is
working as a name BTCL (Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Ltd.). Accept BTCL all
other PSTN use wireless system CDMA (Code division multiple access) technology. The raise of
private PSTN companies made the market of PSTN in the country very competitive. Now the
call rate of PSTN has been reduced than the previous rate.
Here the list of PSTN subscribers of the country is shown in a figure with their customer size
bellow:

Operators

SubscribersDecembe
r 2007
BTTB
872.409
Ranks Telecom Ltd. 112.560
Telebarta Ltd.
55.809
Jalalabad Telecom
3.948
Ltd.
Onetel
30.126
Communication Ltd.
National Telecom
17.521
Ltd.
Peoples Telecom Ltd. 32.961
Westec Ltd.
17.400
Dhaka Telephone Co. 27.793
Ltd.
Sheba Phone Ltd.
8.232
(ISL)
S.A Telecom System 8.134
Ltd.
Banglaphone
0.026
Total
1,186.919
*Subscribers in Thousands Source: BRTC

SubscribersSeptembe
r 2008
872.409
148.173
56.424
4.949

SubscribersOctober200
8
873.265
149.495
56.424
5.110

38.364

38.529

48.467

51.496

46.211
17.000
58.074

53.085
17.000
59.436

10.018

9.930

14.372

14.804

0.026
1,314.487

0.026
1,328.600

Industry analysis:
Star:
Grameen phone. Currently grameen phone is in the first place of the telecommunication sector
in Bangladesh. It has the largest market share of Bangladesh telecommunication sector. Grameen
phone capture its market through providing the best network facilities which other existing
companies cannot. And as its a first mover in market with GSM (Global System Modulation)

technology it has the first mover advantage. Although its call charge is slightly high compare to
its competitors but stills its in the star position because of its network facilities and of course the
customer service.
Cash cow:
Banglalink, here we can say banglalink is the follower of grameen phone in terms of number of
customer and the quality of their services and also they have vast customer service facilities all
over the Bangladesh. The bundle offers, customer service, customer care facilities, networking
and commitment to customers make them to gain second position in telecommunication sector of
Bangladesh.
Question mark:
Robi, due to the recent promotional activities and network improvement robi Company able to
gain sudden growth in their business. In recent time they offer different packages according to
the customers demand which make the customer much easier to choose which one they actually
need. From the recent activities of robi we can place it into question mark.
Dog:
Airtel, last company introduce in telecommunication sector of Bangladesh. It has slow growth in
market share as well as its growth. From all side like, network facilities, commitment to
customers, number of customers, customer service and the customer care facilities make them in
the forth position in telecommunication sector in Bangladesh.
There are also other two companies of which one is GSM system name Teletalk and other one is
CDMA system name citycell. These two companies currently failed from all side to capture the
market as well as retain their existing customer. Because of their poor network system and
customer service they currently loose their customer which kicks out them from competition.
Findings:
Depending on the above information and data and discussion we may say that current
telecommunication sector of Bangladesh is very promising and very competitive. It has a bright
future. As its a competitive market, each company try to provide their service to their customer
in low price of which customers are benefited. Because of the competition there is no chance of
gaining supplier powerful over customers. In Bangladesh telecommunication market customer
have full freedom to choose and switch one operator to another in no time.
CONCLUSION
The buyer is powerful in the industry, but since the market is growing largely, it will be easy for
the company to hold its own share, because of poverty; the population will be unlikely to avail
the switching cost. And this also reduces the risk of high availability of substitutes.

The supplier is not powerful in this case which is a plus for the company and the company can
play with the price to keep the production cost low. Since the market is yet to be matured and
growing very fast, we assume that the suppliers companies are also increasing. Some
multinational companies are showing their interest to enter into the market. This can lead some
new suppliers to arrive into the market and make the environment more competitive. So at some
stage the bargaining power of the suppliers will become very low.
So from the above discussion, it can be said that the Bangladesh telecom market has a lot of
potential to offer considering strategically ignorable or somehow alterable threats. The market
looks very potential and prospective. Lots of opportunities are waiting.
Bangladesh has cheap skilled and willing to be skilled labor. Communication infrastructure is in
good condition and has the ability to serve the international entrants. Customer demand for
telecom product is very high due to the high growth rate of the market. As the industry is
becoming bigger, availability of supporting industries are increasing and already there are lots of
supporting companies in the market. And finally the government policies are very welcoming
and liberal.
From the above discussion we can comment that the mobile telecommunication of Bangladesh is
very competitive & the rivals are facing huge competition in the market. Therefore we observe
that the mobile companies are changing their strategies day to day to survive in the market. So it
will be difficult for any new company to enter in this market. But we can simply say that the
mobile telecom market of Bangladesh is a well balanced & fully competitive.