The New Nation - Internet Edition

Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH), the holding company of Banglalink recently announced its 3rd quarter financial results for 2007. Banglalink ended the quarter (as of September 2007) with over 60 lacs subscribers, and posted a year-to-date revenue of Tk. 926 crore (USD 133 million). Banglalink's subscriber base and revenue have more than doubled over the past 12 months as the subscriber base was 27 lacs and revenue was Tk. 440 crore (USD 62.6 million) for the same period last year.

Revenue for the 3rd quarter (Jul-Sep 2007) was almost Tk. 385 crore (USD 56 million). Banglalink has thereby consolidated its number 2 position in the market in revenue terms. While other major players in the market have been experiencing stagnant revenues and declining ARPUs over the past few quarters, Banglalink has been maintaining a healthy upward trend. This substantial growth is based on the overwhelming response to Banglalink's products and services, and is fuelled by heavy infrastructure investment that amounts to Tk. 1,607 crore (USD 232 million) during the first three quarters.

'We have been investing heavily to enhance the level of our service both in terms of network quality as well as customer service. This year, we have been very aggressive in our network roll out while concentrating mainly on enhancing indoor coverage. To provide better customer service, a new, expanded, state of the art call center has also been established.' said Chief Executive Officer Rashid Khan. 'We have also set-up Banglalink service points all over the country and by the end of the year, we will have over 500 locations all around the country for providing customer service.' He added.

Since the beginning of this year, Banglalink has added over 27 ak subscribers to its base till September 2007. This is the second highest share of net additions in the industry. Banglalink has thereby consolidated its position and increased overall market share to 18.9% at the end of Q3 2007 compared to 15.3% as of Q3 2006.

'We have always been a customer oriented organization and constantly providing customers with innovative and affordable products is our key objective. The fact that we have been consistently getting the second highest share of customers proves that our strategy has been effective.' said Rashid Khan.

Commenting on the growth potential of the market, Khan said 'The market is expected to grow to over 5 crore mobile connections by end of 2008. We will continue to invest heavily in infrastructure to ensure the best quality service for our customers.'