Teletalk to add 1.8m new connections

Teletalk- state-owned mobile operator-- is planning to expand its network giving 1.8 million new connections by the end of this year, officials said.
The company has almost completed all works to give 1.8 million new connections, raising the total capacity to about 3.0 million connections, they added.

"We are working to expand our network by increasing the subscribers to 3.0 million by December 2010," Mujibur Rahman, managing director of Teletalk told the FE Saturday.

The number of Teletalk subscribers is 1.2 million at present started from only 0.25 million based on its own capital, the MD added.
China will provide a soft loan of US$ 211 million for expansion of network of the public sector mobile phone company, he said.
He said with this assistance, the Teletalk will introduce 3G technology having the facilities of watching televisions and videos on mobile phones.
"Besides, 5.5 million new connections would be given by using this technology within two years," Mr Rahman added saying "And we are hopeful that we can start the project early 2011."
Officials said the government received a letter from the Chinese authorities last month in this regard. China will provide the assistance charging only 2 per cent interest.
Bangladesh got assurance of the assistance in the meeting of China- Bangladesh Joint Economic Commission held in China on July 28 last year. The final talks were held during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's last China visit.
A delegation of a Chinese public sector bank has already visited Bangladesh and held talks with concerned officials over the assistance, they added.
The Teletalk MD said an agreement will be signed with China in this regard.
When completed, the new network will improve quality service of the Teletalk, Mujibur Rahman said.

Application for re-examination of papers: Problems arise as Teletalk mobile operators has limited facilities

[ District news ] 2010-05-24

Application for re-examination of papers: Problems arise as Teletalk mobile operators has limited facilities

Examinees are facing problem in applying or re-examination of examination papers on the state owned Teletalk mobile operators as it has no wide range coverage, customers and recharging facilities. Das Gupta Ashish Kumar, Headmaster of local Chaitanya Gobinda Mohan Institution and president of district Shikkhok Samity, said that Barisal Education Board through press release informed that the SSC examinees could apply for re-examination of papers through registering his roll numbers and recharging Tk.125 per paper only on state owned mobile operator Teletalk by May 27. We appreciate the digital attitude of the board authority, but the examinees are facing problem as Teletalk has not wide range coverage in the region and recharging facilities, the teacher association leader said. So, the board authority should find out alternative facilities like internet, manual application system etc, the headmaster suggested. Akkas Hossain, guardian of a SSC examinee, said that he wanted to apply for re-examining five papers of his son but did not know how to do that as he had no Teletalk SIM. Moreover, the said operator cannot function in the shoal area along Patuakhali coastal belt having no recharging center in the adjacent areas. Prof. Dr. Bimal Krishna Majumdar, chairman of Barisal Education Board, acknowledging the problem said that as per decision of the inter-board committee a one-year contract had been signed with state owned mobile operator Teletalk to provide the result and re-examination application service. Every year on average five thousand SSC examinees used to apply for re-examination of their papers at BEB. So, we tried to make the procedure easier for applying re-examination from home and informed higher authorities for contacting with Teletalk for extending their service in co-operation with other mobile operators, which was done during the publication of the result, the BEB chairman further said.

TeleTalk to introduce 3G service

TeleTalk has taken an ambitious plan for introducing 3G (third generation) mobile phone technology in Bangladesh. The state-run cell phone service provider is lagging behind the private operators because of funding shortages, but expecting strong foothold on the market with the 3G services.

The company has already got positive response from Exim Bank of China in funding the project, which may cost about $211 million. Under the project, a total of 55 connections will be offered to prospective clients.
There would be an agreement between Exim Bank and TeleTalk during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to China this month, an official source said.
Post and Telecommunication Secretary Sunil Kanti Bose and TeleTalk Managing Director Mujibur Rahman are visiting China with the prime minister's entourage to finalise the deal.
Mujibur Rahman told BSS today that representatives from the state-owned Exim Bank already visited Bangladesh when they discussed the project and expressed their positive views.
He said there is a huge demand for TeleTalk services, but funding shortages are hindering the network expansion of the company to tap more customers.
At present, the company has a client-base of around 10 lakh.
The managing director pointed out that the company was expanding its network for 18 lakh new connections at a cost of Taka 700 crore from its own sources. With the expansion, the connection capacity would be around 29 lakh.