Telecom sector can galvanise financial recovery
As connectivity through digitalisation has tested worthwhile in keeping socio-economic activities ready to go even during the pandemic, entire Bangladesh is running after innovation in this area, said Yasir Azman, ceo of Grameenphone.
If the operators and the federal government work together, the telecom sector can contribute more towards faster financial growth and quick recovery from the knock-on aftereffect of the pandemic, he said.
"We have the scope to interact to take our industry to another level. Especially through the pandemic, we have realised how important a tech platform could possibly be," the state said, adding that digitalisation endeavours deserve much more attention.
Azman, who was simply the first Bangladeshi to assume the role at the leading mobile operator, recently sat with The Daily Star for an interview to mark his 100 days as the CEO.
"Digitalisation is not only about the benefit of the operators. We want it in the complete ecosystem to create a positive impact on our economy."
The overall economical growth will never be praiseworthy in today's year but hopefully, it will start picking up next year.
"I don't think we are able to go back to our previous growth momentum by 2021. But we might become popular again in 2022. And telecommunication and digitalisation will play an excellent role in that."
Although pandemic has dealt a huge blow to the telecom sector, Azman said their services enabled many people to home based and meet through digital platforms like Zoom, MS Teams and Google Hangout.
"We have realised that our connectivity benefitted entire Bangladesh. That is our achievement."
He, however, said their investment priorities could possibly be changed as a result of present crisis. Investment decisions will rely upon another few days taking into consideration the usage pattern and economical recovery.
"If there is a need, we will invest a lot more. If not, we will wait."
The telecom industry has recently seen that data use has increased and hopefully, it will be more in the coming days, said Azman, who in addition has served as head of distribution and e-business of Telenor Group, the Norway-based telecom giant that has a 55.8 % stake in Grameenphone.
The operator also observed that customers' behaviour was changing rapidly with a 40 per cent upsurge in activation through their digital channels.
"Think about how exactly fast the change was, how persons are using different platforms. This is a huge change for folks. And it has allowed me to learn where to concentrate on as a CEO and as a company."
However, he said currently mobile penetration is merely 60-65 per cent in the country and among them, only 50 per cent use the internet while their average internet use is about 2GB.
However the regional peers like Myanmar and Thailand have significantly more than 75 % smartphone penetration and their average internet usage has increased to 10GB per user.
"Vast opportunities lie here," Azman said, adding they are hopeful about the marketplace and expect that companies like Grameenphone may also get double-digit growth in the coming years.
About the tussle with the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission over an audit claim of Tk 12,580 crore, the Grameenphone CEO said the regulator has told them that stakeholders will sit together to find an amicable solution.
The carrier already paid Tk 2,000 crore in line with a court order.
"I really do not see any solution regarding this matter unless we are able to have a reasonable discussion. Based on that, I hope you will have an amicable solution," he said.
When asked if the struggle with the regulator has impacted the share price of the listed company, Azman said: "lots of things rely upon market dynamics".
"All of the indices of the market went down as a whole, not only the Grameenphone stock price. There have been other factors as well."
Azman thinks none should quit their legitimate rights, regardless if there are non permanent losses, and in the long run, matured investors appreciate this technique.
He also criticised the way the regulator has declared the operator a substantial market power (SMP). The BTRC has named Grameenphone an SMP operator since it has a lot more than 40 per cent revenue and market shares, but restrictions are yet to be imposed effectively.
Referring to global practices, Azman said SMP implication should reflect the alignment between your right process and your competition law.
In this case, it really is mentioned that the data ought to be submitted whether any party is destroying the marketplace by playing dominance over others. Predicated on that evidence, corrective actions ought to be defined, he said.
Azman also mentioned the spectrum price and allocation process as a challenge. He said they have long been requesting the government to lower spectrum prices.
"Operators are heavily buying equipment and managing network capacity. You can either manage this with the spectrum, or you may bring modern equipment."
When operators buy modern equipment, the money goes out of the country but it could be minimised by lowering spectrum prices, he added.
The state also urged the federal government to withdraw SIM tax.
"When the SIM tax was implemented last year, the quantity of new subscribers fell drastically and the government cannot be benefitted if the subscriber base of operators weakens."
As a CEO, Azman also really wants to focus more on contributing to society.
"What we do here includes a great impact on our economy. We are a commercial organisation, no doubt. But the purpose of it is very strong."
With regard to the industry and the betterment of the united states as a whole, he would prefer to see issues linked to spectrum and towers be solved next six months.
Within the next one . 5 years, he really wants to start to see the readiness of 5G and its own ecosystem aligned with the regulators, device owners and the digital providers.
And by 2022, 5G services will be launched in Bangladesh, he said.
"I would like to see that people acknowledge and endorse the contribution of the telecom sector to the development of our economy. You want to help unleash the potential of each individual and enterprise," Azman said.
