Mobile telecommunications in Bangladesh

[Maisson]

Banglalink tops 3G download speed list

Banglalink at present has 25 million internet users out of its total of 35.23 million subscribers

At 4.39 Megabits per second (Mbps), Banglalink subscribers experienced the highest 3G download speed between September and November last year, a JP Morgan report has said.

Banglalink subscribers had a good experience when they downloaded videos and images, made video calls, and engaged in other activities online, as the report, titled "Asia Pacific Equity Research," noted.

Released on January 23, the report analysed statistics from mobile phone operators across 14 Asian countries.  

Currently, Banglalink has 25 million internet users out of its altogether 35.23 million subscribers. It is the third largest operator in the country in terms of subscriber base. It offers HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) technology in its 3G connection, which extends and improves the performance of the existing 3G networks.

Airtel Bangladesh merged with Robi in November 2016, to begin operating as only Robi. The JP Morgan report said Airtel offered the second highest download speed, which was 4.12 Mbps.

Grameenphone ranked third on the list, with its subscribers getting 3.88 Mbps. It is the largest mobile phone operator in the country in terms of revenue, coverage and subscriber base.

Robi's 3G download speed was 3.77 Mbps – the lowest in that period – even though it is the second largest mobile operator in the country, with the number of subscribers reaching 49 million at the end of December last year.

Banglalink's dual carrier 3G and 4G network

Banglalink said topping the 3G download speed list was a reflection of its relentless efforts to provide subscribers with the best-in-class digital services.

"We have an efficient performance management system, and state-of-the-art solutions for network coverage and capacity," Taimur Rahman, chief corporate and regulatory affairs officer of the company, told The Business Standard.

He said, "Banglalink has a strong dual carrier 3G and 4G network powered by the additional spectrum we purchased at the last auction. The network is fully capable of catering to customers' demands by providing super-fast internet connection across the country."

Taimur said his company would remain committed to offering customers "a more enabling digital life" by leveraging the latest technologies.

Sumayia Mariam, who has been a Banglalink subscriber for a decade, told The Business Standard the company's network coverage in the urban areas is satisfactory.   

"But I face trouble when I go to the rural areas or the countryside. At the same time, the signal is sometimes weak when I am on the upper floors of big buildings. This is something that needs to be improved," she added.

According to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, Banglalink purchased the largest spectrum during the 2018 auction at a cost of $135 million.   

Over 59 million 3G users

At present, the country has 165.57 million mobile phone subscribers, and 93.68 million mobile internet users.

Of the total number of internet subscribers, 59.04 million use 3G connections.

The number, however, is gradually declining as 4G networks have been introduced in the market.

In 2012, the government issued 3G licences to private operators.

In general, 3G networks offer a speed of at least 7.2 Mbps. This gives users the ability to download documents, images and videos within a short time.

Under 2G technology, users could get the highest download speed of 64 Kbps.

[Maisson]

Mobile operators cool down on investment plans

Inhospitable regulatory regime to blame

The mobile industry's combined investment fell 19 per cent year-on-year to Tk 3,695.72 crore in 2019, the lowest in recent years, as the regulatory regime continues to spook the foreign owners of the top three carriers.

Mobile carriers are not investing adequately into their network, a development that is directly hampering their service quality and customers are getting substandard service, industry insiders say.

The scenario was totally depressing last year because of the restriction on the top players that prevented them from setting up new towers.

Under the new licencing regime, only dedicated tower companies can establish mobile network infrastructure; mobile operators are barred from getting into the business.

Mobile operators say the regulatory situation has become unbearable and if it persists, the country will suffer and customers are already suffering.

"Last year was a very dim year for investors," said SM Farhad, general secretary of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh.

With the restriction on the two top operators -- Grameenphone and Robi -- coupled with the fact that the tower companies are yet to be operational, the carriers could not expand network during the period and this affected investment and service quality as well, he added.

Regulation is the single most important driver in the telecommunication sector, said Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer of Robi, the second-largest operator.

"Any action by the regulator can have a positive impact or a dire impact."

Robi has cut back on its investment the most last year: about 32 per cent.

In 2019, it invested Tk 1,421.3 crore and had planned to put in another Tk 1,200 crore but could not do so because of the regulatory restriction centring on its audit claims of Tk 867.23 crore by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.

Following a High Court order recently, Robi has paid two instalments of Tk 27.60 crore each to the BTRC and got no-objection certificate from the regulator after seven months, during which time its network expansion and maintenance came to a halt.

Robi's investment previously surpassed all other telecom investors', making it the leading foreign direct investor for five consecutive years to 2018, Alam said.

"It is unfortunate that regulatory actions disrupted our 2019 investment plan, pulling us and the industry down by a few years. It was an irrecoverable loss. We were unable to increase the capacity of our network or resolve the issues of customer complaints," he said in a statement.

Robi requested for a more cohesive approach and the formation of a coherent industrial policy for the telecoms sector, so that it is able to provide much-needed boost to the vision of the government, in terms of investment ability, innovation adoption, network capability and attractive unit pricing, Alam added.

Grameenphone's investment declined more than 13 per cent in 2019 from the previous year, while Banglalink's investment grew 4.37 per cent.

Banglalink made significant investment in 2018 to purchase spectrum in order to roll out 4G, which ultimately resulted in an enhanced quality of service for customers, said Taimur Rahman, chief corporate and regulatory affairs officer of the company.

The country's third largest carrier invested Tk 3,524.16 crore in 2018, which included the spectrum charges it paid for buying 10.6 MHz spectrum. Without the spectrum charges, the investment stood at Tk 776.61 crore in 2018.

"Regrettably, the less favourable regulatory environment made it challenging for Banglalink to invest in rolling out more sites recently."

In 2019 it invested Tk 810.62 crore.

"However, we remain hopeful that the government will take our challenges into consideration and take necessary steps such as implementing the SMP guidelines that would encourage small operators to invest further in future," Rahman said in reference to the rules on the significant market player.

Banglalink's continued investment has allowed it to meet the growing demand from its customers for digital services, he added.

Market leader Grameenphone declined to comment.

The carrier has yet to get the NOC's after depositing Tk 1,000 crore to the BTRC in line with a court order.

The telecom regulator imposed a bar on Grameenphone and Robi in July last year and the bar is still ongoing for the Norwegian Telenor Group subsidiary.

A major chunk of the investment of mobile operators goes into network expansion and building towers to improve coverage and service quality. Upgradation and maintenance of towers also require additional investments.

In order to make sustainable businesses, mobile carriers will have to invest an adequate amount to satisfy their customers, said Md Jahurul Haque, chairman of the BTRC, when contacted.

The telecom watchdog regularly runs the quality of service drive tests.

"We will punish operators if they fail to meet the quality. We will not go to find out how much they have invested or not -- our main agenda is to ensure proper service to the customers."

The operators are cutting back on investment and repatriating more sums, he said.

"This is a common trend among the telecom operators. This needs to be discussed." 

[Maisson]

BTRC wants to pull the plug on 2G handsets

Muhammad Zahidul Islam
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is apparently discouraging use and trade of second generation (2G) mobile phones, popularly known as basic or feature phones, as per letters it recently sent to listed handset importers, producers and vendors.

Mobile operators welcomed the move but the letter recipients say it would not be a workable approach to popularising smartphones.

About 70 per cent of the mobile phone users are still using 2G devices as most have no demand for higher technology and the telecom regulator should not deprive them, they said.

In the letter, the BTRC is said to be witnessing 2G devices dominating the market.

"The 3G mobile network has flourished in the market and 4G services is also being offered and the government also has a promise to enrol 5G services by 2023, for which basic phones need to be discouraged," it read.
The vendors are seeking clarity on the term "discourage".

Currently the letter bears no meaning, said Rezwanul Haque, chief executive officer of Transsion Bangladesh, which assembles 2G handsets of iTel brand and 4G ones of Techno brand.

"We have a huge number of mobile phones users in the country who do not need smartphones at all as they are using mobile phones only for talking. They even cannot text or save phone numbers in their handsets so why will the regulator make them use smartphones?"

A basic phone costs only Tk 750 but for smartphones at least Tk 3,000 is required and this extra spending will either be meaningless or unbearable for them, said Haque, a former general secretary of Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Association.

There are also challenges regarding network quality across a huge part of the country. "This is why the youths who need or even want to use smartphones are not doing so," Haque added.

Dismissing the analysis, mobile phone operators said it was a much-needed direction and true advancement towards the vision of a Digital Bangladesh.

Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer at Robi, said their 4G network currently covers 75 per cent of the country's population, whereas 4G handset penetration had stalled at less than 30 per cent of mobile subscribers.

"This clearly shows that a significant portion of our network capacity is remaining underutilised."

Moreover, although Robi has become the country's first mobile carrier to introduce voice over long term evolution (VoLTE) technology, it does not have that much customers with VoLTE-enabled handsets, he said.

The VoLTE service will only benefit a small portion of the population, said the country's second largest carrier.

"In the interest of implementing the vision of Digital Bangladesh, we need to make an all-out effort to create the eco-system for a full-fledged digital society by increasing the use of smartphones in the market," Alam added.

Some 3.28 crore handsets were sold in the country in 2019, about 2.51 crore of which were basic phones, according to local manufacturers and importers.

About 54 lakh smart devices were locally manufactured last year, while another 24 lakh were imported via the legal and grey channels, according to industry insiders.

"This picture actually tells the real truth of Bangladesh, that the smartphone market has immense potential to grow," Haque said.

For that the industry needs to work together though.

"We never think that the market will be corrected only by issuing directives or orders."

Mobile carriers need to improve their quality and at the same time more and more of the digital services need to be on board so that customers feel the need for smartphones, Haque said.

Bangladesh witnessed the launch of 3G services in October 2012 and 4G in February 2018. The regulator is now formulating the 5G guidelines. 

[Kamikaze]

2 hours ago, Syed Amar Khan said:

"We have a huge number of mobile phones users in the country who do not need smartphones at all as they are using mobile phones only for talking. They even cannot text or save phone numbers in their handsets so why will the regulator make them use smartphones?"

A basic phone costs only Tk 750 but for smartphones at least Tk 3,000 is required and this extra spending will either be meaningless or unbearable for them, said Haque, a former general secretary of Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Association.

 

2 hours ago, Syed Amar Khan said:

Some 3.28 crore handsets were sold in the country in 2019, about 2.51 crore of which were basic phones, according to local manufacturers and importers.

Exactly, these say everything. I still don't find smartphones useful. It needs more care and can't last longer than feature phone. Whatever smartphone can do, PC/laptop can do it better.

[Dark Carnage]

42 minutes ago, Kamikaze said:

Whatever smartphone can do, PC/laptop can do it better.

But you can't carry them everywhere and smartphones are  more user friendly 

[Kamikaze]

16 hours ago, Dark Carnage said:

But you can't carry them everywhere and smartphones are  more user friendly 

Meh. Most people usually use it for watching videos, listening song, gaming, taking photos and visiting  social media. I only surf in FB for news update, specially defense news. If i need a smartphone it might be for reading books and doing office work. But at the end i gotta rely on PC, Laptop and DSLR for better gaming experience, better video quality and taking photos. Smartphone consumes power a lot. I guess feature phone won't last very long as new generation prefer smartphone even though it has some problem.

[Dark Carnage]

1 hour ago, Kamikaze said:

But at the end i gotta rely on PC, Laptop and DSLR for better gaming experience, better video quality and taking photos.

See, why not have a single device instead of three? Outside professional sphere, smartphones can serve you enough.

1 hour ago, Kamikaze said:

Most people usually use it for watching videos, listening song, gaming, taking photos and visiting  social media.

A lot people used to use PC or laptops for the same purpose

[Rezwan12]

12:00 AM, July 14, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 02:24 AM, July 14, 2020

Smart lampposts in the limelight

Edotco rolls out smart city solutions with DNCC

Star Business Report

At first sight, it looks like an ordinary lamppost. But what separates it from the rest is that it, apart from lighting the area, offers high-speed telecommunications connectivity and Wi-Fi service, facilitates waste management, gives real-time air quality data and serves as digital signage for the community.

Close-circuit cameras can also be installed on it, beefing up security surveillance. The pole shows how a smart city would look like as Dhaka aspires to become one.

Embarking on making Dhaka a smart city is not just a reverie because multipurpose poles have already been set up under a joint initiative of several telecom companies and the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).

Edotco Bangladesh, an integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company, has deployed two such poles in Dhaka – one in Banani and another in Gulshan-2 DCC market.

"I am committed to converting Dhaka into a smart city and we are excited to be able to deploy smart city solutions like this for the first time, giving our people a new and improved platform for social and civil services," said DNCC Mayor Md Atiqul Islam while inaugurating the initiative during a virtual programme yesterday.

"This will not only provide excellent connectivity but also improved quality of life. This is an ideal example of PPP."

The smart lamp pole is the result of a public-private partnership (PPP) aimed at developing smart city features on a pilot basis. If the piloting succeeds, more than 200 such solutions will be put up in the DNCC area.

This would allow smartphone users to use free Wi-Fi for 20 minutes with eight megabytes per second download speed within 40 to 50 metres radius of the pole. If a user wants to consume more data, they can purchase additional time slots from internet service provider Sheba using mobile balance.

An internet of things device installed on the 36-feet tower will give information about the filing status of the smart bins located within a 100-metre radius of the pole to the DNCC monitoring centre, saying whether they are full or not.

If required, the city corporation will collect the bins or replace them with fresh ones.

Mobile carrier Robi established its network on both the towers, enhancing service quality in the area.

The deployment of the multipurpose smart lamp pole has brought multiple players from the ecosystem together to provide uninterrupted connectivity to the citizens.

The arrangement allows the tower company to sell its tower space to mobile phone operators using the DNCC's spare or unused spaces. In return, citizens get free services such as free Wi-Fi, light, air quality report, awareness messages and smart bin, according to the mayor.

The installation of the poles also makes ready the telecom industry for the upcoming 5G technology as a huge number of towers would be required for the fifth-generation service.

"While we focus on ensuring continuous, stable and fast connectivity for all the citizens, we are also committed to enabling the nation's 5G readiness by introducing next-generation solutions such as smart city solutions," Ricky Steyn, managing director of edotco Bangladesh said.

The company currently owns and operates more than 10,000 telecom towers across the country and is developing towers that are power-efficient, eco-friendly and are not harmful.

Md Jahurul Haque, chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission; Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, professor of computer science and engineering at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, and Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, chief executive officer of Robi, attended the virtual event.

 

https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/smart-lampposts-the-limelight-1930093