Robi, Bangladesh’s second largest mobile phone operator in terms of revenue earnings, claims to have covered 99% of the country’s population and have widest international roaming service among other local operators. As of June 2015, the operator has 27.4m subscribers.
Dhaka Tribune has recently interviewed Robi’s chief operating officer, Mahtab Uddin Ahmed who would like to share the operator’s present stand in the 3G market of Bangladesh along with future expansion plans.
Dhaka Tribune: It’s been almost one year since Bangladesh stepped into third generation mobile broadband service. Has the country been able to reap benefits of the high-speed service? Which areas Robi focuses on for 3G penetration?
Mahtab Uddin Ahmed: Robi now concentrates on expanding 3G network to all 64 districts targeting all levels of users. It will be expanded from upazila to union level gradually to reach rural population. For this we urgently need to increase 3G-enabling devices. However, it takes time to take 3G service to rural areas.
Robi offers packages for data subscribers. But the major obstacle is the lack of 3G-enabling handsets to make them successful. Robi is working to increase the use of 3G-enabling devices. Efforts have been taken with handset vendors Samsung and Nokia, which will hopefully help to improve the situation. Robi offers handset with attractive data packages and these types of offer are encouraging for the subscribers.
In operators’ perspective 3G investment is not yet feasible. There is no protection for data prices. There is an unhealthy competition prevailing in the market. But in consumers perspective the users are benefiting from the service.
It is not possible to see the success of 3G in just a few years. Investments should continue while the regulator has a lot of things to do. The regulator can intervene in pricing the service through launching a guideline. The whole market can go down only due to an offer by a small operator. There is a minimum offer in voice services with an operator offering minimum 25%. Another bar is needed in data prices to keep the market stable.
DT: Do you think 3G services have attracted new customers? What was your expectation about 3G customer-base here?
Mahtab Uddin Ahmed: Consumers are benefiting from the service. We have already seen a revolution among young generation in the use of 3G services. Robi is campaigning a lot to expand data service consumption.
Progress in 3G customer-base is good and encouraging. But there is a need to increase it to a certain level. If 3G/4G-enabling devices are manufactured locally, the prices will come down.
DT: Will 5 MHz spectrum be enough for the provision of 3G service in Bangladesh?
Mahtab Uddin Ahmed: 5 Mhz spectrum is standard up to a certain level to provide good quality service. In the long run we need more than 5 Mhz depending on the customer growth.
Robi continues to invest heavily to fast-track its 3.5G network expansion and to improve 2.5G customer experience both in voice and data services.
The company has deployed network coverage in all 64 districts in Bangladesh through 8,119 sites, of which over 2,450 are 3.5G sites.
DT: What are the new aspects of mobile services the consumers will experience through 3G services?
Mahtab Uddin Ahmed: We can’t depend only on voice service. We will have to fulfil all needs of the customers. Different value-added services are gaining popularity. Now, mobile financial service is very much popular. In near future everything will be in a mobile handset. We have a huge scope to work on education. We’ve just started our works. Robi has taken an initiative to build apps which will work as a platform. The operator is acting as a catalyst. But we have to focus on our customers need.
DT: As we know, usage of internet on mobile devices has increased significantly. Do you think it is a good sign for the market?
Mahtab Uddin Ahmed: Undoubtedly its a good sign for market. But it’s not good enough. In operators perspective 60-75% of customers should be brought under 3G service if we want to make our operation feasible and profitable.
DT: Are there any obstacle against the 3G service in Bangladesh?
Mahtab Uddin Ahmed: The government and operators have to work together especially on the spectrum auction matter. There should have a clear road map in the telecommunications sector.
DT: What is the potential time line for Robi to launch 4G in Bangladesh?
Mahtab Uddin Ahmed: As a company we are ready to launch the new services. But before that some pending issues should be resolved. We have to make 3G profitable before introducing 4G. Besides, there are many disputed issues that are not resolved yet. We expect it’s a matter of time to resolve them.
DT: What is the plan to educate the potential customers?
Mahtab Uddin Ahmed: We organised school competition and ICT fair in every upazilla, and launched a modern e-library recently in Dhaka university. We also launched free Wi-Fi in Dhaka College, and are also taking a lot more initiatives to expand the service. We are happy to provide this kind of supports. These will help to create a knowledge-based society. In building a digital Bangladesh, mobile operators making a huge contribution. Robi introduced free internet service through internet.org. It demonstrates our commitment to facilitate affordable internet for the masses.