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Banglalink to tap into growing 3G potential

VimpelCom CEO says they are ready to invest for the future

Suman Saha
Bangladesh will soon see robust growth in the use of data services owing to rapid expansion of the 3G networks, said a top official of VimpelCom, the majority shareholder of Banglalink.
"I think people will be hungry for 3G services here when they realise the benefits of such services," said Jo Lunder, chief executive of VimpelCom.
The market will grow further, both in the number of subscribers and data revenue, he told The Daily Star in an interview at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in Dhaka recently. He was in the country from March 31 to April 1 to sit in meetings with officials from Banglalink and the government.
Around 70 percent people in Bangladesh use cell phones at present, he said, "We believe the rate will increase significantly in the coming years."
Banglalink registered an 85.45 percent growth in data business last year; the company earned Tk 102 crore from data services in 2013, up by Tk 55 crore from the previous year, according to VimpelCom's fourth quarter data in 2013.
The CEO said they are pouring funds into Banglalink, considering the long-term business perspectives.
"We want to develop a good 3C network and new ecosystem with support from local applica-
tion providers and software companies, to better peoples' lives," said Lunder.
VimpelCom will invest around $350 million in the next two years to build the 3G network of the local mobile operator, but Banglalink will need a "bit more time to see positive net income", he said.
"But as a shareholder, we have zero concerns about Banglalink's net income, as we are investing here for the future," said Lunder, who has been serving as CEO
since July 2011. He was the chairman of the board of directors of VimpelCom previously.
In 1999, he came to VimpelCom from Telenor, where he was employed in various capacities, including chief operating officer of Telenor Mobile.
Though the country has a huge population base, the average revenue per user is still very low, he said. "So, we have to focus on increasing revenue by providing innovative services."
Political turmoil last year
affected the telecom sector badly as "we saw less traffic and less revenue," said Lunder.
On whether VimpelCom has any plans to offload Banglalink's shares on the Dhaka Stock Exchange, he said, "At present, we have no such plans. ’
VimpelCom, headquartered in Amsterdam, has invested around $600 million in Banglalink since 2011 when it acquired a majority stake in Orascom Telecom, the former owning company of the local
operator, according to Lunder.
Banglalink acquired 5 MHz of spectrum at a price of $ 105 million last year and so far, received a good response from customers on its 3C services, said Ziad Shatara, the operator's chief executive.
The operator has completed setting up its 3G network in all the divisional cities and plans to bring all the districts under 3C coverage by June, said Shatara.
Banglalink is fully owned by Cairo-based Global Telecom Holding, where VimpelCom has a 51.7 percent stake.
Orascom entered Bangladesh in September 2004 when it purchased Sheba Telecom for $60 million. It later rebranded itself and launched its services under the Banglalink brand in February 2005.
Banglalink has around 2.9 crore subscribers as of February 2014, with around 25 percent share in the six-operator mobile market, according to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.
VimpelCom, a joint venture between Norwegian telecom giant Telenor and Russian banking group Alfa, is the seventh largest mobile operator in the world in terms of subscribers, according to Lunder.
This company is listed on Nasdaq in New York and has operations in Asia, Europe, North America and Africa with 60,000 employees, he added.
suman.saha@thedailystar.net