Case Presentation On TELECOMMUNICATION IN BANGLADESH & 3.5G APPROACH OF ROBI AXIATA LTD.

Name: Bijoy Mohajan
ID: 3-11-21-050
Subject: International Marketing

Telecom Market in Bangladesh

The liberalization of Bangladesh’s 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 last decade.

In 1996 Bangladesh had made a breakthrough in their communication sector by introducing Mobile telecommunication system. 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. By 1996 it was named as Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Limited (PBTL) and launched the brand name “Citycell Digital” to market its cellular products. Grameenphone a GSM (global system of mobile communication)-based cellular operator has started operations on March 26, 1997. Aktel was the third mobile phone operator in Bangladesh launched in early 1998.

Mobile Price War
The entry of Banglalink in February 2005 has sparked a price war. Banglalink’s 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, Aktel and CityCell – had also come up with various value-added offers resulting in an intense price battle. The development of a