Executive Summary

T
he strategy of Orascom Telecom Limited is to provide quality GSM service under superior
managerial techniques and controlled condition. The company also has a great emphasis on
creating job opportunities for the women population of the community. The main visionary of
the company is Mr. Naguib Sawiris, who is also the Chairman & Managing Director of the
company. All the grand strategy of the company is set by him.

To ensure efficiency and effectiveness the recruitment policy of Banglalink for each
management level is unique according to its needs. The company values their employees. The
company uses critical incident techniques to appraise their performances. Among other things
they provide. The company has taken up a string of measures to keep the morale of the
employees high. The company also employs controlling techniques to keep the service at
their best. The company recognizes its responsibility towards the society in which it operates
its business. Consequently the company has adopted a proactive attitude towards its social
responsibilities.

After carefully examining the management of Orascom Telecom Limited, it is clear they are
using high number of distributors to gain market share. They are trying to make Banglalink
the most easily and widely available GSM service in Bangladesh by hiring large number of
distributors and making the most versatile packages and services available. And after
analyzing the reports and studying the market it is quite clear that they are fairing quite well
according to their company objectives.

1
 Table of Contents

1) Introduction 03
2) Bangladesh Telecommunication Market 04
3) Banglalink 07
4) Promotions 13
5) Banglalink Icon 13
6) Business Environment 14
7) Management Functions 16
8) Human Resource Management 19
9) Brand Portfolio 28
10) Finance 28
11) Operations 29
12) Corporate Social Responsibility 41
13) BCG Matrix 45
14) SWOT Analysis 46
15) Recommendation 49

2
 Introduction

Background

Telecom is a booming sector in the country today. Foreign investments have flowed into the
country over the past few years in huge amounts. Bangladesh, with a population base of
140m provides a very prospective environment for foreign telecoms to invest. The urban
population at present is approximately 29 million people. About 22% of the urban population
is considered middle class (with an average household income of USD 3,254), who are
increasingly becoming more capable of purchasing consumer goods, and this class is
growing. In any case, the urban population is forecasted to rise to 99 million by the year
2030, says a study by World Bank. This will lead to an increase in consumer demand within
the economy, and thereby will increase the probability of purchasing of mobile phone. There
is sustaining need for telecommunication all over the world. Bangladesh is no different. But
how much of the demand is actually met? The rising of telecommunication is further proven
by the extreme rush for purchasing airtimes, booking billboards, attractive offers and what
not. In any case, such activities are going to continue to increase in the future with the
dissolving of boundaries and expansion of globalization.

Banglalink is an aggressive telecom in the country and within a year of operation has
established certain benchmarks. Despite having the 2nd largest market share, Banglalink is
perceptually the leader in terms of innovation of products, services and communication.
Orascom telecom Bangladesh limited ("Banglalink") is a 100% owned subsidiary of Orascom
telecom holding s.a.e., Egypt, ("Oth") in Bangladesh. It was acquired by Oth in 2004, and
after a complete overhaul and the deployment of a new GSM network, its telecommunication
services were re-launched under the brand name Banglalink. When Banglalink began
operations in Bangladesh in February 2005, its impact was felt immediately: overnight
mobile telephony became an affordable option for customers across a wide range of market
segments. Banglalink’s success was based on a simple mission: "bringing mobile telephony
to the masses" which was the cornerstone of its strategy. Banglalink changed the mobile
phone status from luxury to a necessity and brought mobile telephone to the general people of
Bangladesh and made a place in their hearts. The mobile phone has become the symbol for
the positive change in Bangladesh. This positive change that is quite correctly attributed to

3
Banglalink, has become the corporate positioning of Banglalink and is translated in their
slogan "making a difference" or "din bodol". "Making a difference" not only in the telecom
industry, but also through its products and services, to the lives of its customers. This
corporate stance of "making a difference" has been reflected in everything Banglalink does.
Banglalink attained 1 million subscribers by December 2005 and 3 million subscribers in
October 2006. In less than two years which is by December 2007, Banglalink overtook Aktel
to become the second largest operator in Bangladesh with more than 7.1 million customers.
Banglalink currently has 14.22 million subscribers as of march 2010, representing a market
share of 26%. Growth over the last years have been fuelled with innovative products and
services targeting different market segments, aggressive improvement of network quality and
dedicated customer care, creating an extensive distribution network across the country, and
establishing a strong brand that emotionally connected customers with Banglalink.

1 Bangladesh Telecommunications Market

After becoming available in 1993, mobile phones took off slowly in Bangladesh where nearly
half the 140 million population lives on less than one dollar a day. Only 1.56 among 100
people has access to telecoms facility, the 2003 data of the UN telecoms watchdog say.
Telecommunications services in Bangladesh are provided principally by the Bangladeshi
Telegraph and Telephone Board (the “BTTB”), the incumbent state owned fixed line
operator, with respect to fixed-line services, and by six GSM mobile operators, Robi (Axiata
Malaysia), Banglalink (Orascom Telecom), Citycell (Singtel, Pacific Group & Far East
Telecom), Grameenphone (Telenor & Grameen Telecom), TeleTalk (Bangladesh Telegraph
and Telephone Board) and Warid Telecom Bangladesh (Warid Telecom).
The fixed line telecom sector is invigorating for an enormous sprint in investment, as the
telecom watchdog has finalized the frequency distribution to all 19 private licensees. The
formal introduction of state-run BTTB mobile phone was on 28th December 2004 which is
seen as a milestone in our telecom account. Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board
(BTTB) would release SIM cards for 2.5 lakh mobile connections of GSM (Global System
for Mobile) technology in the first phase, out of targeted 10 lakh connections under the
scheme.

4
 1.1 Historical Background

The Telegraph branch of the Posts and Telegraph Department was created in 1853 in the then
British India, which was afterwards regulated under the Telegraph Act of 1885. This was
reconstructed in 1962 as Pakistan Telegraph and Telephone Department. After the
independence of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in 1971, Bangladesh Telegraph and
Telephone Department was set up under the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to
run the Telecommunication Services in Bangladesh. This was converted into a corporate
body named Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board after promulgation of Bangladesh
Telegraph and Telephone Board Ordinance no. XLVII of 1975. In pursuance of Ordinance
no. XII of 1979 promulgated on 24th February 1979, Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone
Board were again converted into a Government Board.

1.2 Demands in the Industry

The growth of the telephone exchange capacity of Bangladesh from 1995 to 2000 was
discouraging- an average growth rate of only 40, 000 lines per annum whereas, pending and
growing demand of telephones has been increasing at a faster rate than growth in the installed
capacity of telephone exchange system (BTTB history, n.d.).
BTTB is not the sole provider of telephone services in Bangladesh. In 1998, four different
private operators were allowed to operate in different types of telecommunication services.
Of these 2 of the operators worked in rural areas, one was providing radio trunking and
passive services and one was providing mobile phone services. The mobile service provider
was City Cell sponsored by Pacific Bangladesh Telecom limited (City Cell history, n.d.). City
Cell provided telecom services both in rural and urban areas. Although mainly based in cities
and towns, city cell had interconnectivity with BTTB’s land lines (City Cell history, n.d.).
City Cell was the first mobile service provider of Bangladesh. Initially it had a monopoly on
the mobile service but only until 1996 (City Cell history, n.d.). In 1996 two new operators
entered the market- GrameenPhone and Sheba. Sheba’s service was limited to Dhaka but
GrameenPhone (GP) spread its network rapidly (Sheba history. n.d.). Today out of the 64
districts, GP serves 50 districts in Bangladesh and its network is divided into 6 zones- Dhaka,
Chitagong, Khulna, Sylhet, Barishal, and Rajshahi. GP has two kinds of services- GP national
and GP regular. GP national provides connection with BTTB and all other mobiles
throughout the country wherever GP has its network. GP regular only connects to GP mobiles

5
throughout the country according to its coverage. Although BTTB has not been able to reach
the villages, Grameen’s cell phones have reached a massive number of villages. GP, funded
by the Grameen Bank (10%) and Nortel (90%), has used the optical fiber network owned by
Bangladesh Railway (Grameen’s village program, n. d.). The fiber optic cables were
originally laid by the Bangladesh Rural Transport Authority (BRTA) but never used (BTTB
Project Concept, November, 2004). Therefore, Grameen Phone’s network has been easily
connected to any mobile users who are adjacent to Bangladesh railway tracks. The GP’s
village program was started in 1997 and is providing service to people in the remote rural
areas of BD. According to statistics of October 2003, there are more than 39,000 village
phones in operation. These village phones are operating in 58 districts and in approximately
28,000 villages- providing telecom facilities to more than 50 million people in remote areas
Besides GP, CityCell and Sheba there is a fourth cell phone operator called Robi. Robi joined
BD’s fast cell phone operation in 1999. Although mainly based in Dhaka, like Sheba, Robi
has been able to attract customers and maintain control of quality. Lastly in 2007 Warid
telecom came into the business.

This part of the report provides a brief overview on the four major players of the Telecom
Industries. It is simple general information on the companies explaining their positions and
potentials in the market. This would be helpful to make a correlation between the business
graduates’ choice and the prospect of these companies to get the best brains available in the
market.

6
 2 Banglalink

2.1 Sheba turns Banglalink

Banglalink, was the last addition to the GSM family of OTH when on October 20th, 2004.
Orascom Telecom announced the actual purchase of Sheba Telecom with a cost of 60 M $, as
well as the company’s re- branding   under the name of Banglalink with the leveraging
promise to provide the people in Bangladesh, quality service at the most affordable prices
fitting to their communications needs. It is also worth mentioning that an unprecedented
success of sales results followed the Commercial launch of Banglalink   on the 10th of Feb
05. OTH expects its subsidiary to invest over US$200 million in expanding its network
coverage and capacity and deploying its services during the coming years. In September
2004, Orascom Telecom Holding acquired a mobile services company, Sheba Telecom (Pvt.)
Ltd. in Bangladesh with a nationwide GSM license valid until 2011. Since then, OTH has
installed new management, upgraded the network and re-branded the company as Banglalink.
Banglalink has rapidly deployed new network infrastructure, set up a distribution network
and points of sale, and designed complete commercial plans to offer high quality voice and
data telecommunications services at competitive prices to the people of Bangladesh. OTH
operates a GSM network in Bangladesh and provides a range of prepaid and postpaid voice,
data and multimedia telecommunications services. As of June 30, 2009, Banglalink already
has 11.04 million subscribers.  Banglalink has an approximate market share of 23.7%.
Banglalink’s license is a nationwide 15-year GSM license that expires in November 2011. It
was acquired for US$ 60 million and re-branded and launched its services under
“Banglalink” in February 2005.

2.2 Parent Company – Orascom Telecom Holding

Few years ago, Orascom Telecom Holding has started their business and has already
established themselves as one of the largest conglomerate telecommunication company in the
world. Basically, they are doing their business in Middle East, Africa, and Pakistan and in
Bangladesh as well. They are providing the GSM network. They started their business in
Egypt in 1998 with MobiNil and still they are expanding their business throughout the world.

7
They have already owned a huge market share in many countries. But, in Bangladesh, they
have taken over Sheba Telecom and started their business. On October 20th, 2004, Orascom
Telecom announced the actual purchase of Sheba Telecom for 60 million dollars, as well as
the company’s re-branding under the name of Banglalink, with the leveraging promise to
provide the people of Bangladesh quality service at the most affordable prices suitable to
their communications needs.

2.3 Commercial Marketing and Sales:

Sheba re-branded its operation under the trade name “Banglalink” shortly after it was
acquired by OTH. Banglalink provides its subscribers with basic voice services, messaging
services and value-added services. Banglalink offers a prepaid and postpaid telephony
service. Banglalink has entered into international roaming agreements with more than 250
operators. Banglalink provides customer support through a 24-hour a day, seven day a week
call center. Banglalink sells its mobile telecommunications services through indirect channels
and Banglalink-owned shops. Banglalink has agreements with exclusive national distributors.
In addition to this indirect channel, Banglalink owns and operates shops in major cities,
which also act as a point of service and supports its customers.
Banglalink gives the highest importance on the quality of our coverage to ensure that the
customers have the best experience while using the service.

8
 2.4 Network Coverage

Banglalink has stayed true to its vision all throughout. It spread its network in record speed
and covered all of the 61 districts, 425 thanas, and 88% of the total population of Bangladesh.
These incredible milestones were achieved in less than a year, whereas other companies had
taken several years to do so.

9
 2.5 Shared Values

We know that Banglalink is a brand extension of Orascom Telecom Holding. They have
started their business in Bangladesh and they are trying to capture the huge number of
customers under their service. They are committed to provide the best service to the
customers and they are trying to do according to their goal. They have set a certain value
through which they will be trying to achieve their goal and those are:
 Straight Forward
 Reliable
 Innovative
 Passionate
According to them, they are totally committed to serve the best possible service for the
customers and for ensure that they will invest huge financial resources in Bangladesh.
They are also trying to make a difference in the customers’ mind. Like in our country, most
of the people are not eligible to bear the expense of a cell phone. By considering this fact,
they are trying to make this cell phone available for all customers by offering those packages
which is affordable for all. They are trying to penetrate the whole market with those low cost
packages.

2.5.1 Vision

Banglalink understands people's needs best and will create and deliver appropriate
communication services to improve people's life and make it easier.

2.5.2 Mission

Banglaink’s mission is to provide the best quality services to their customers, value to their
shareholders, and a dynamic working environment for their employees.

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2.5.3 Objective

In future, Banglalink wants to be the number one telecom operator in Bangladesh. To achieve
this goal necessary steps are already taken and more innovative ideas are generating to
achieve the goal as early as possible. Within the three years of operation Banglalink has
captured 1 million customers in Bangladesh, whereas the leading company GrameenPhone
reached their first million in 9 years of operation. GrameenPhone reached their first million in
2005 and Banglalink started their operation in Bangladesh in 2005. Within the next three
years both the companies are running into the same pace according to customer reach.

2.6 Making a difference

The biggest barrier today for people is the cost of handsets. Banglalink will strive to lower
the total cost of owning a mobile. They are here to help make a difference in people's lives by
providing affordable and reliable connectivity solutions. They will strive to connect people
and link their lives by listening to them and by understanding their needs. They are here to
help us speak our language.

2.7 Market & Package Overview

The market consists of different types of users with different core needs. It is important to
identify the core needs of the customer groups and service the unique needs in unique ways.

2.7.1 Segmentation

Banglalink has segmented the telecom market according to the needs and wants of the
customers. The segmentation has been done to target the consumer groups in the market and
identifying their core needs.

11
Banglalink has identified that fact that the needs of the corporate customers will not be the
same as those from the personal or individual market. Hence, banglalink has come with
specific products targeting the specific market segments.
Banglalink is the only telecom which has segmented its customer base fully. The packages
offered for these segments are:
 Banglalink enterprise personal (Postpaid)
 Banglalink enterprise SME (Postpaid)
 Desh (Prepaid)
 Desh Rang (Prepaid)
The personal post paid packages are tailored to serve the exact purposes and give the best
value for money. The enterprise SME package is a customized package offering solutions to
anyone starting up a business of his/her own. Desh package is for those users who want to
talk to any network (specially other network) at any time at lower rate. Desh Rang is most
beneficial for customers who mainly make calls to their own network and are heavy SMS
users. These packages were created keeping in mind, the needs of the people who prefer to be
treated differently. The communication of these packages is likewise done in a way to attract
people of the fitting segments.

2.7.2 Measure of potentiality of the target market

It’s true that all the segments are competitive. But, the positioning strategy that Banglalink is
adopting will help them to effectively use those segments. As far as the Bangladesh market is
concern, a huge chunk of people wants to have quality product with low price. Actually their
target customers are the young and middle age people of Bangladesh.

12
 3 Promotions

Banglalink uses consumer promotion tools, these tools used to urge short-term customer
buying or to enhance long-term customer relationships. First one is samples, which are offers
of a trial amount of products. Next one is cash refunds or cash rebates; which is like coupons
expect that they will give a bonus amount after purchasing a SIM card. They also offer cash
back according to their customers’ usage. They have free SMS service. They also offer free
talk time for their customers. Consumer promotion tools are used by Banglalink to promote
their product. Banglalink also took the following steps to promote their product and brand.
In this section they basically concentrate in their Banglalink theme. They choose musical type
as their massage strategy. In this strategy, they show people or celebrities are singing about
the product. They made their TVC based on their theme music. This communication based on
its corporate tune which carries the legacy of Banglalink through a refreshing perspective of
“Positive Bangladesh” - with amazing cultural heritage, people, music and scenic beauty of
our very own country. This campaign is aimed at reinforcing our corporate tune firmly in the
mind of the audience on the canvas of a positive face of Bangladesh. Another electronic
medium is Radio. Radio is the more popular medium than any other medium. With the help
of FM Radio now they can promote their product in the remote place of Bangladesh. They
also promote their product by printing media which is newspaper, magazine, periodical etc.
they also have huge amount of billboard around the whole country. They also provide
different types of offers to promote their brand and product. These promotional activities help
Banglalink to create a good positioning in the mind of their target customer compare to other
competitors.

4 Banglalink ICON

Banglalink Icon is their most recent product. Actually this is not a new product; they call it a
customer service. To enjoy this service a customer has to use more than 3000 taka in a
month.. By Banglalink Icon, they are trying to create a distinctive customer perceived value
in the mind of their target customers. These customers became ICON of the organization.
Banlalink gives them more priority to the Icon customers. Banglalink uses two promotion
tools to give them better service and greater satisfaction from other competitors. First one is

13
advertising specialties, also called promotional products, are useful articles imprinted with an
advertiser’s name, logo, or massage that are given as gifts to consumers. Typical items
include T-shirts and other apparel, pens, coffee mugs, calendars, key rings, mouse pads, tote
bags, coolers, golf balls, and caps. They also use patronage rewards, that are cash or other
awards offered for the regular use of Banlalink’s products and services.

5 Business Environment

5.1 The Competitive Environment

The competitive environment is the closest environment surrounding the organizational
borders. The elements of the competitive environment of an organization are also known as
Porter’s Five Forces. These are:
5.1.1 Rivals
Rivals can be defined as another company who operates in the same industry. Banglalink’s
main competitors are: Grameen Phone, Robi, Taletalk, Citycell. Banglink must have to
identify their rivals, they have to know how the rivals are operating their business and they
must have to react according to their rivals’ actions.
5.1.2 Suppliers
Suppliers are firms who provide raw materials, product and services to produce final product
for the particular industry. Banglalink is a telecom company. It needs network tower to
provide better service. Ericsson and Huawei are two main firms who provide network towers
for all telecom company of Bangladesh. Because of having only two networks provide firms
the suppliers have the most bargaining power, which is not good for Banglalink. But at the
same time Banglalink is trying to limit the bargaining power of their suppliers to have a
competitive advantage. Customers need cell phone to use Banglalink’s product. So, cell
phone companies like Sony Ericsson, Siemens, Nokia, Samsung, LG, Motorola etc. are also
Banglalink’s suppliers.
5.1.3 New Entrants
New Entrants are those companies who just entered into an existing market with an old
product. Warid Telecom is the new company in telecom sector. Warid started their business
in 2009 while Banglalink started their business in 2005. Managers must ensure that the
industry has high entry barriers.

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5.1.4 Buyers
Customers can be defined in two types one is they are the intermediate purchasers and
another one is they are the final consumers who consume the product or uses the service. For
Telecom Company like Banglalink we are the buyers who purchase and use their product.
Managers must ensure better customer service and understand what customers want and how
they want it.

5.1.5 Substitutes
Substitutes are companies who being in alternative products and services into the existing
market. Banglalink’s main substitutes are BTTB, ISPs, and VOIPs etc. Managers must ensure
that the industry does not have many substitutes.
5.2 The Macro Environment
Macro environment includes those fundamental factors and general elements that can affect
and influence all strategic decision making of an organization.
5.2.1 Law and Politics
Banglalink have to maintain some important laws of the country like The Telegraph Act of
1885, The Wireless Telegraph Act of 1933, The Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board
Ordinance 1979, The Bangladesh Telecommunication Act 1999, National Telecom Policy
1998 etc. Also, the government has imposed a higher rate of value added tax (VAT) on the
Telecom. So, Banglalink has more legal constraints than opportunities. They also have high
rate of income taxes on their net profit.
Politics affects Banglalink greatly. If there is a political instability around the country, there
will be fewer sales.

5.2.2 Economy
The economic variables such as inflation rates influence Banglalink. As we know inflation
rates increases prices of everything, so does the costs of Banglalink. The price of their
services though increases, but still their customers, who are loyal, do not shift to Banglalink’s
competitors.

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 6 Management Functions

7.1 Planning and Decision Making

7.1.1 Strategic planning
The Top-Level Management comprise of the Board of Directors and CEO. The Top level
management is headed by the Managing Directors of the company. They decide on the
structure of the company.
The Top Management takes all the major decision for the organization. They are responsible
of giving to maintain the relationship with the mother organization which is Orascom
Telecom. They do the negotiation with their suppliers and the share holders of the company.
They do the financial planning, where they forecast revenue earnings and expenditures as
well as capital expenditures for the next six months. They also map out the production
planning and shipment planning for the middle management.
The average planning horizon for the top management of Banglalink is 6 months. That is, the
company decides on its strategic planning.
7.1.2 Intermediate planning
The intermediate planning at Banglalink is carried out by the Mid-Level Management. The
Mid-Level Management comprises of the CFO, CCO, CTO and all the department heads of
the company.
The Middle Management looks all the work of their subordinates work. They are bound to
top level managers. They took suggestions from the first line managers. They execute the
financial plans mapped out to them by the company’s top management. Other than that the
planning horizon of the middle management of Banglalink is 3 months.
7.1.3 Operational planning
The operational planning at Banglalink is carried out by the lower level management. The
lower level management of the company comprises of the officers of the company. The
officers of the company lead the execution of the production and all other related processes as
per the planning given to them what the lower level management does decide is how much
they can execute the plans which given to them. The average planning horizon of the lower
management is a month.

16
7.2 Organizing
Structural consideration such as the chain of command, division of labor and assignment of
responsibility of Banglalink are set according to its Organogram, or it’s Organizational
Structure. The Organogram is given below

17
Figure: Hierarchy of each Department

18
 7 Human Resource Management

7.1 Recruitment Process

To recruit an employee Banglalink follow below steps-
1. Brief
First step is briefing about the recruitment process. In this step they set the procedures
that how they will recruite employee.
2. Purpose
The objective of this process is to ensure a regular and smooth interaction between
HR and all departments stating a hiring need to HR. It complements the general
guidelines given in the Recruitment Policy which was developed by the HR
department and is available to everyone via intranet. The process will define all steps
necessary to follow between stating a recruiting need until making the final offer to a
potential employee
3. Distribution and Approval
4. Abbreviations and Definitions
5. References
Templates:

a. Recruitment Flowchart included

Prerequisite:
b. N/A
Policy:
As per OTH HR policy

6. Process Activities: DETAILS OF THE PROCESS:

 State recruiting need through official personnel requisition form
 Ensuring Compliance with approved hiring plan (1 day)
 Receive form, confirm reception by email to requesting person (same day)
 Regularly update employing department on progress (weekly)
 Send set of CVs (shortlist) and other relevant info to requesting department.
 Identification of potential candidate (1-7 days)
 Contact candidate, arrange interviews (2 days)
 Candidate accepted?

19
  Check references, arrange medical check (7 days)

 Communicate verbally the offer to candidate

 Decision on offer adaptation (2 days)

7. Roles and Responsibilities

HOD – requesting for the resources:
i. Request for Resources for the department
ii. Receives and screen the short-listed CVs
iii. Identify potential candidate from short listed
candidates
iv. Inform HR for short listed candidates
v. Interview candidate
vi. Accept candidate
vii. Receive and review selected candidate

HOD – HR:
viii. Approves the candidate
ix. Signs the offer for the selected candidate

Recruitment Manager:

x. Comply with approved manpower forecast from

HR-RC01
xi. Sources CV
xii. Shortlist the CVs and other relevant information
to requesting department
xiii. Contact candidate and arrange interviews
xiv. HR to check references and arrange medical
checkup
xv. Make offer to the candidate
xvi. Candidate accepts the offer
xvii. Inform requesting department

20
C&B Manager:

xviii. Develop offer for recruitment to inform

respective departmental head

21
 Collected
Request for Dept. short lists the
CVs are
Resources is sent by CVs and sends the
short-listed
the department along Approved CVs to
and sent to
with Request Form HR
the Dept.
and Job Description

Department
Comply with Yes Vacancy is
submits Request
Approved HC posted on the Acquire Head of
Form & Job
Proactive approach

Budget internal website Department

A list of required Description
approval
HCs to be recruited
as per the Budgeted No
HC is sent on every
last Tuesday of

Yes
month
Sourcing CVs from
Rejected Suggest Offset Approval from
No external sources:-
Approved

Vacancies Dept. Head Internal candidates Agencies

Potential CVs
apply Websites
Database
Advertisments 3-5 Days
1-2 Days No

Offer is made
Current candidate’s Yes Vacancy on the Offer is Approved candidates
according to Internal
salary is equal to or developed with are called for the Initial
current candidate’s less than minmum for same level or candidated
No C&B HR Interview
salary vacancy less
candidate
External

Yes

Positive Vacancy is
Accepted candidates’
Approved

Positive Medical Check & Offer is made on a higher Acquiring

Verbal offer is No CVs are sent to the Approved Initial HR
C & B prepares according to the level Functional
Reference Check is communicated to dept. for technical Interview
formal offer minimum of the Minimum 1 year Approval
done by phone the Candidate experience in the interviews
vacancy same position
Rejected
Negative

Rejected
Negative

Selected
Candidates are Offered is developed as Yes
a % over the minimum Current Salary less
called to sign the according to current than vacancy’s
Contract employees’ minimum
experience

No
3 Days
2 Days

Notes:
*Total Time Required to complete the whole Recruitment Process is 17-24 Regret Letters are sent to
Selected Candidates Days. the rejected Candidates
formally Joins the *The time Required in the concerned department has not been considered.
Company *Each recruiter is solely responsible for fil ing the CVs progress Excel sheet
and for the sending the regret letters to the rejected candidates for each
assignment

Figure: Recruitment Process

22
7.2 Training and Development Process
Brief:

First they provide a training form for the employees who think that they need any training
program or not. If yes, then they asked what type of training program they want to attend.
Then organization will decide who will provide the program and what will be the process of
that program. After that the head of that training program will brief the employees about the
program.

Purpose:

The purpose of this document is to provide the employee with the view about the training &
development process exercised in Banglalink. The objective of the process is to ensure a
regular and smooth interaction between HR and all departments stating training requirement
to HR. It complements the general guidelines given in the Training Policy which was
developed by the HR department and is available to everyone upon request. The process will
be applied for all training and development activities within Banglalink. In order to facilitate
understanding the HR Training Process is divided into two sub-processes are:
A. Training & Development Planning Process
B. Training Execution Process

Process Details: Training and Development Process

A. TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT PLANNING PROCESS

State training need through official APA Form:

During the time of annual appraisal, the line manager is to reveal the individual development
need at the specific place of APA form.The line manager will also indicate in which way this
development need will be catered e.g. through training courses / seminar / workshop / on-the-
job coaching / formal or informal counseling etc.The line manager will indicate by when this
development initiative should be done and by whom.

Consolidate feedback from Annual Performance Appraisal:

HR will collect all signed APA form and then will consolidate training & development need.

Analyze all data:

All the feedback will then be consolidated department wise and HR will discuss and finalize
the department need with respective HOD.

23
Prepare the Training Plan:
On the basis of agreed development need, HR will prepare training planHR will review the
department training plan with respective HOD and finalize the training plan. Based on this
training plan, HRproposes the budget.Both the budget as well as the training plan will be sent
for approval to the Head of HR.

Prepare the program brief:

Discussing with the concerned line manager, a brief of each program will be prepared with
the following information: The purpose of the program, Objective – how the participants get
benefits, Outline of the program, other admin detail – date, venue, facilitator etc.

Prepare the Training Manual:

A complete Training Manual for the year will then be prepared and will be distributed to all
line managers for their reference.This will also be available to our intranet.
Finally HR along with line manager will execute and follow up the yearly training plan

B. TRAINING EXECUTION PROCESS

Training registration through official Form (Training Request Form):

Roughly a month before the date of a planned training event, HR will prepare the participants
list and complete the registration process with the specific form.

Raise the RF:

HR will raise all RF regarding training fee, venue and other logistics

Invitation:
HR invites the relevant participants along with all the admin information related to date,
venue etc.

Payment:
HR will issue the GRS to Finance dept. advising them to prepare the cheque for the training
cost. For overseas training, department Admin Assistant will coordinate with Finance &
Admin dept. to complete all the travel formalities.

Training undertaking:
For overseas training, HR completes all the formalities getting the training undertaking from
the participant as per policy.

24
Attending at the training program:
The participants have to attend at the course timely and must take it seriously.They should
own this as an opportunity and takes full advantages from a training course.

Training Feedback from participants:

After attending at the training course, the participant fills up the feedback form given to
him/her and sends it to his/her manager.

Training Feedback from Manager:

Getting the training feedback from the participant, the manager sends a copy of it to HR. He
also provides feedback on performance of the employee after having that training.

Reference: Swim Lane Chart 8.1

Roles and Responsibilities –

Human Resources Department: Human Resources Department includes two broad
processes. One is Training and Development Planning Process and another one is Training
Execution Process.
a) Training and Development Planning Process: At first they collect the data about
the development needed by the employees from annual appraisal form. Then they
combine all the information they got from the forms of the employees. After that they
merge all the feedbacks from the forms. Then they analyze all the data. Base on all the
data they prepare the training Plan, the program brief and the Training Manual.

b) Training Execution Process: First they provide the training registration through
official TR Form (Training Request Form). Then they give the invitation to the
employees. Then they brief payment system, Training undertaking, the Training
program, the system of getting the Training Feedback from participants and the last
one is getting Training feedback from Manager.

Head of Department: First he acknowledges the training plan. Then he selects training
programs (In house/Local/Abroad). And he discusses and plan for the functional program

Trainee: First a trainee has to Sign the training under-taking with HR Department. After
getting the confirmation from HR department he/she can able to attend the training program.
After the training program he/she has to write a report to his/her direct reporter about his/her
opinion on the training, benefits s/he achieved etc. on the form.

Reference: Swim Lane Chart 8.1

25
Swim Lane Chart:

Training and Development Planning Process:

Training & Development Planning Process

State Training
HR consolidate all data
Need through
and define departmental
official TNA form
training need by Nov.
HR

by Oct.
HR

A1 A2
A1 A2

NO
Department
Department

HR to consolidate
data from Annual Approval from Distribute to all line
Performance HOHR & CEO managers
Appraisal by Dec.
YES
A3
A3

HR to analyze data HR along with line

HR to plan the yearly Prepare a brief Prepare Training
from two sources and Prioritize and define managers to execute
program detail of each of the Manual by
HR

define organizational the draft programs and follow up the

HR

schedule program January

training need plan

A4 A5 A6 A7
A4 A5 A6 A7
Line
TimeLine

90 Days
Time

90 Days

Training Execution Process:

26
Training Execution Process

Registration: HR to
HR to invite the
prepare Training
HR

participants with all

HR

Request from duly

admin details
signed

B1 B2
B1 B2 OVERSEAS
LOCAL
Department
Department
Finance

Advice Finance to
Finance

HR to send memo
complete
to Finance to
necessary
prepare Cheque
formalities

B3 B4
B3 B4

HR to follow up
Training and define next
HR
HR

undertaking from
participants
step
Department
Department

Participants to
attend the course
Line Manager to
Participants to
provide feedback on
provide training Line manager to
performance of the
feedback to direct send a copy to HR
employee after having
report
the training

B5 B6 B7
B5 B6 B7
Line
TimeLine

As per training requirement of the Department

Time

As per training requirement of the Department

Inputs and Outputs:

Training and Development Planning Process:

Training & Development Planning Process

Input Process Output

Input Process Output
HR consolidate all data and
State Training Need define departmental
through official TNA form training need by Nov. HR
consolidate data from
by Oct.
Annual Performance
Appraisal also by Dec.

HR analyzes data from two

sources and define
organizational training
need

HR to plan the yearly

program detail schedule

Prepare a brief of each of

the program

HR along with line

Prepare Training Manual
managers to execute and
by January
follow up the plan

27
Training Execution Process:

Training Execution Process

Input Process Output

Input Process Output

HR to invite the participants Training undertaking from

with all admin details participants

Participants to attend the

course

Participants to provide
training feedback to direct
report

Line manager to send a copy

to HR

Line Manager to provide

feedback on performance of HR to follow up and
the employee after having the define next step
training

8 Banglalink Brand Portfolio

They basically have two main brand portfolios. These are:

Prepaid:
 Desh
 Desh Rang
 Desh Ekrate
 Desh Ekrate Darun
 Desh Rang
 Prepaid Internet

Postpaid:
 Banglalink SME
 Banglalink business
 Banglalink postpaid
 PCO Call & Control
 PCO Postpaid
 Postpaid Internet

28
 9 Finance

In terms of revenue, Banglalink's performance has been impressive with total revenues of Tk.
11.83 billion at the end of 1st half of 2010. Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH), the holding
company of Banglalink recently announced its financial results for the 1st half of 2010. In the
1st half of 2010, due to a withdrawal of SIM tax subsidy by the major operators, the overall
industry continued to experience a slowdown as connection prices were increased. Despite
the rise in prices, Banglalink's subscriber base increased steadily and reached 11.04 million at
the end of the 1st Half, which is a 17 per cent increase compared to the same time last year.
The market share of Banglalink also went up to 23.7 per cent in the 1st half of 2010, as
compared to 21.6 per cent during the same time last year. The average revenue per user has
also reported an increase of 18 per cent in quarter two compared to the same time last year
and an increase of 4 per cent compared to the previous quarter. All these positive
performances have been the outcomes of the revenue enhancement initiatives aimed at the
existing base. Commenting on the recent achievements, the Chairman of OTH, Mr. Naguib
Sawiris said, "Banglalink continues to grow very well with strong subscriber take up and
stable average revenue per user; it is now stably earnings before interest, tax, depreciation
and amoritization positive and has reached an impressive 40 per cent plus margin in Quarter
2.

10 Operations

10.1 Customer care

10.1.1 Banglalink sales & care centers

Banglalink sales & care centre provides the following services:

 SIM replacement
 Transfer of ownership
 Change of address
 Itemized bill
 Bill payment through credit card

29
  Package migration

10.1.1.1 Banglalink call center

Banglalink call centre provides service 24 hours, 7 days a week.

10.1.1.2 Banglalink Points

Banglalink service points are available in several locations in the following regions:
 Dhaka south
 Dhaka north
 Bogra
 Barisal
 Chittagong
 Khulna
 Mymensingh
 Rajshahi
 Sylhet

10.2 VAS

To promote their brand Banglalink offers a huge variety of Value Added Services. These are:

 Healthlink  i'top –up (electronic recharge and

 Music Station bill payment service)
 Junction  Voice Mail Service
 Voice adda  Power Menu
 Krishi Jiggyasha  Fax and Data Service
 Babsha Jiggyasha  News Service
 Amar Tunes (Ring Back Tone  Yellow Pages Info Service
Service)  i'bubble (Voice SMS)
 Ntrack: vehicle tracking system  SMS (Text, Quotes & Jokes ...)
 MCA (Missed Call Alert)  Conference Call, Call Divert and
 i'info Forwarding
 Namaz Alert  Ring tone, wallpaper and Logo
 Song Dedication download
 SMSemail

30
  Banglalink Messenger  SMS roaming
 SMSadda (SMS Chat)  Voice Portal
 Picture Messages  GPRS Service (Mobile Internet)
 International SMS
 SMS Banking  Stock Info
 Friendfinder  Azan alert
 Call Block

10.3 Call Management Services

10.3.1 Banglalink Easy Divert

Upon registering to this service, a subscriber can receive calls in another Banglalink number.
charges: tk. 2 per SMS (excluding vat)

10.3.2 Voice Message

A subscriber can use this service to record voice message and then send the message to a
person using any operator.

Charges: sending voice message:

 on-net (bl to bl): taka 1.00/voice message (excluding vat)

 off-net (bl to other operators): taka 1.50/voice message (excluding vat)

retrieving voice message:

 taka 3/2 min (excluding vat)

10.3.3 Call block

Rong subscribing to call block service, a person can:

 Can create a "blacklist" of callers to whom he/she is not willing to communicate.

 Can create a "white list" by which he/she can choose the selected few who can call
communicate.
 Have the option of shuffling between white list and blacklist.
 Can add 10 free numbers to blacklist / white list after subscribing.
 Can have SMS notification to inform blocked caller’s number and time of call.
 can deactivate /activate the service feature anytime without unsubscribing the service

31
10.3.4 Call me back
This service enables all prepaid customers of Banglalink to send a maximum of 5 requests to
another Banglalink number (prepaid and postpaid) to call him/her back if he/she has low
credit balance. Only prepaid users having a balance of tk.0.15 to tk.1.00 will be able to send a
call back request. Charges: Tk. 0.15 for every request

10.3.5 Missed call alert

This service, upon subscribing, will notify a user via SMS all the calls made to him/her when
his/her phone is unreachable or due to any of the reasons below:

 handset switched off

 out of network or coverage area

New features

Monthly subscription service subscribers will enjoy the new features as default for no extra
cost:

 Caller notification: whereby calling parties will receive a SMS saying that the called
party is available to receive calls when the called party is back into network.
 Out of office notification: whereby the calling party will receive a SMS saying the
called party is not able to receive any call at that moment.

10.3.6 Conference call

Bangalink post-paid and pre-paid users can use the conference call service to talk to more
than one person at once. Charges: normal airtime rate apply for each of the conference calls
separately.

Call waiting

After registering to call waiting a subscriber can receive a second call while he is already
talking to someone on the phone. The subscriber can hold, merge or switch to any of the two
calls.

Caller line identification presentation

Caller line identification presentation (clip) is a supplementary service that allows a

subscriber to see the number of the caller on his/her mobile screen before answering the call.
This is a default feature available and activation is not required for this service.

Data based services

32
Banglalink internet

Banglalink is providing two different GPRS packages

p1: pay as you go - the charge for this service is bdt 0.02/kb for prepaid users and bdt
0.015/kb for postpaid users and call & control users. (excluding vat)

p2: unlimited internet - the charge for this service is bdt 650/month (excluding vat).

p6: 1 gb - the charge for this service is bdt 275/month (excluding vat).

Banglalink internet modem

Banglalink introduced Banglalink internet modem which is available at only tk. 2000.

Product details

 modems are available at Banglalink Dhaka and Chittagong customer care centers
 additional refundable security deposit of tk. 750 has to be paid to avail this offer
 Unlimited internet (p2) package will be provided with this offer. bills will be
postpaid as per regular p2 tariff, i.e. tk. 650
 Banglalink internet modem is plug-n-play with one year warranty

Banglalink phonebackup

Banglalink phone backup is a service that safeguards all data of a mobile phone including
contacts, calendar & tasks, SMS, photos, videos and audio. the phone backup service copies
your mobile phone’s data in a secured manner to Banglalink’s phone backup system, and
also enables you to restore the saved data on your phone (new / existing) whenever you
change your phone or in case you lose the data accidentally.

client based package SMS based package

Packages (supports GPRS/edge enabled
handset for rich & sync ml client)
Backup options contact, SMS, photos,
backup options
videos, audio, calendar & tasks.
to subscribe type backup and SMS to 6600
monthly subscription fee*tk. 20
(supports all GPRS/non-
GPRS enabled handset)
Contact
type reg and SMS to 6600
tk. 10

Vehicle tracking: ntrack

Banglalink and nits service pvt. ltd., a sister concern of nitol-niloy group, signed an
agreement on 9th September 2009 to jointly promote the ntrack vehicle tracking system. A
special discount of 20% on device price and yearly service charges will be provided to
Banglalink users.

33
 Major features of ntrack are

 live tracking with street level mapping that will display address, speed and direction
of the vehicle
 sms alerts for crossing speed limit, reaching pre-defined location, unauthorized route
etc.
 remote security control and engine switching off to protect theft
 web interface to track the vehicle throughout Bangladesh
 fuel cost and mileage reports
 arrival and departure reports

Dhaka metropolitan police (DMP) head quarter has a monitoring tool at their end for ntrack
with which they will be able to monitor any stolen car/vehicle if the device is installed in
that car.

Stock info
Banglalink stock info service is a mobile phone based application that allows Banglalink
subscribers to get live stock information of Dhaka and Chittagong stock exchange. This
application runs on java enabled handsets.

service features

 live information on DSE and CSE stock price of listed companies

 summary of subscribed stocks in portfolio
 daily and weekly graphs on prices of individual companies
 latest news from DSE and CSE
 performance of market (top 5 gainers/losers)
 profit/loss calculation
 auto-scroll of latest prices from the portfolio
 stock price alert of predefined rate
 IPO result
 feedback

Azan alert

Azan alert is java based software that can be downloaded by a wap-link push SMS and can be
used in any java enabled handset. This software will provide the following facilities:

 current date  asar time

 current time  magrib time
 preferred location  iftar time
 sahri time  isha time
 fazr prayer time  sahri and fazr time for the next day.
 johor time

34
Azan alert can be localized according to the time-zone of 18 major cities of Bangladesh and
also has a daylight saving formula which can be used all year round.

Charges: the charge for this service will be tk.9 (excluding vat)

Information based services

Banglalink emergency

In case of emergency situations, Banglalink customers will be able to dial *321*5# and sms
asking for help will be sent (containing the customer’s current location) to previously defined
emergency contact persons. The customer’s current location would be automatically included
in the SMS through Bangalink’s location based service.

Blood bank
"Blood bank 8008" is basically a call center based service whereby Banglalink subscribers will
be able to dial the short code 8008 and receive information/enquiries regarding the availability
of blood including the location of nearest blood bank, hospitals or individual donors, etc.
People who are interested to donate blood can also get information regarding donation
campaigns.

 Healthlink
Through this service, Banglalink subscribers will now be able to get health counseling services
through third party (managed by synesis it) call center.

service features

 professional medical consultancy

 health care information
 beauty tips

Banglalink jigyasha
Krishi jigyasha 7676

Banglalink has introduced krishi jigyasha 7676 which will provide suggestions and answers to
any queries related to agriculture, vegetable and fruit farming, poultry, livestock, fisheries etc.  

Babsha jigyasha 7677

35
Babsha jigyasha 7677 gives information on the following:

 Access to finance: information relating to the availability of finance for operating or

starting a new business.
 
 Business documentation process: Through this service existing and potential business
owners will receive information on the processing of documents such as trade license,
tin, tax certificate, etc.

I'info
An SMS based subscription news service which provides current information on the following
categories:

sports - football, cricket, tennis etc.

entertainment - updates from Cineplex, schedules from baily road, scoops from bollywood etc.
technology - updates on latest computers, softwares, cell phones, space exploration etc.

Railway junction
This service will allow Banglalink prepaid and postpaid subscribers to check information on
the below features:

 Destination wise train info - this will allow subscribers to know destination wise train
information along with the train number, name of the train and departure time.
 Seat availability information - this will allow subscribers to know seat availability
information along with the train departure time.
 Class wise ticket fare information - this will allow subscribers to know class wise train
ticket fare.
 Train delay schedule - this will allow subscribers to know train schedule (if it is running
on delayed schedule).

Charges: the service charge is taka. 3/SMS (excluding vat)

Yellow pages
Banglalink yellow pages provide information on airlines, banks, hospitals, embassies,
restaurants, trains, travel offer, etc. by dialing 2727.

information highlights

 key tourist destinations & details about Bangladesh

 travel & tourism info - local & foreign package tours, tour operator and hotel contact
 Transportation information - transportation related information e.g. contacts, schedule,
charges etc.
 entertainment | shopping | visiting spots
 foods | restaurant
 emergencies - district wise emergency contacts (Police, RAB, Hospital)
 special events and attractions
 upcoming trade shows in Bangladesh

36
  Useful link - important information like embassy address and contacts, money changer
and others.

SMS

By short messaging service Banglalink subscriber can receive information on the following
categories:

 jokes
updated cricket score 
 detailed cricket score of a specific country
 horoscope  
 emergency numbers 
 phone number of taxi cab control office by company name
 weather report by city

International SMS
Banglalink subscribers can send and receive SMS to other operators in foreign countries. It
covers 172 countries, 644 operators in six continents.

Qur’an ivr
Through this service, Banglalink customers will be able to listen to any Surah from the holy
Quran with its tarjoma (Bengali translation).

Namaz alert

Upon subscription a user will receive SMS alerts before fajr, johr, asr, maghrib and esha
prayer times.

Mobile financial services

Electronic money order with Bangladesh post office

Banglalink partners with the Bangladesh post office (bpo) to launch electronic money order
(emo) service through the post office branches all across the country.

Mobile train ticket

37
 Banglalink has launched mobile train ticket service in joint collaboration with cns limited
and Bangladesh railway.

Through this service, railway passengers now will be able to purchase their train ticket from
their own Banglalink mobile phone as well as from approximately 500 "Banglalink mobile
cash points" located at Dhaka and Chittagong.

Mobile bill-pay

By mobile bill pay service Banglalink subscribers of Mymensingh and Rangpur can pay
electricity bills from Banglalink mobile phone, at any time, 7 days a week or at the nearest
bill-pay point that has been authorized by Banglalink. 

Mobile remittance

Beneficiaries with banglalink mobile connections will be able to open mobile wallet accounts
either at dhaka bank or eastern bank from selected banglalink mobile cash points by
submitting necessary identity documents and account opening forms. Mobile wallet account
holders can receive the remittance directly in their mobile wallet account. If the beneficiaries
do not have banglalink mobile connections, they can still receive the remittance by receiving
a secured and unique transaction reference number which is forwarded to them by the sender.
In that case, the beneficiaries will have to go to the designated banglalink mobile cash points
with proof of identification and request for the disbursement by submitting the transaction
reference number, the exact amount and the bank name.

Infrastructure Sharing
Optical fiber network

Nationwide Backbone

38
 Dhaka metro

Tariff

39
Selling unit: e1 (30 channel)

 capacity from fiber optic/microwave backbone

 a discount may be considered depending on bulk, tenure of utilization, data/voice and
type/category of client and the route of lease/sublease.
 e1 rent shall be calculated by giving a discount range up to 30%

slab slab in kilometers maximum monthly charge*/km remarks

1 0-50 bdt 250 note to table - a
2 51-100 bdt 200 in addition to (1)
3 101-200 bdt 160 in addition to (2)
4 201-300 bdt 130 in addition to (3)
5 301 and above bdt 95 in addition to (4)
note to table - a: for any distance below 20 km, the maximum monthly charge will be bdt
5000/-.

*excluding vat

Selling unit: stm-1 (63 e1)

 capacity from fiber optic/microwave backbone

 the rental shall be determined by multiplying the unit cost of 1 (one) e1 by 63

Note: stm-1 rent shall be calculated by giving a discount range up to 30% may be considered
depending on bulk, tenure of utilization, data/voice and type/category of the client and the
route of lease/sub-lease. this discount shall only be applicable in the same point-to-point
link.

Selling unit: stm-4/8/16 (4 stm-1/8 stm-1/16 stm-1)

 capacity from fiber optic/microwave backbone

 the rental shall be determined by multiplying the unit cost of 1 (one) stm-1 by 4/8/16

Note: stm-4/8/16 rent shall be calculated by giving a discount range up to 30% may be
considered depending on bulk, tenure of utilization, data/voice and type/category of the client
and the route of lease/sub-lease. this discount shall only be applicable in the same point-to-
point link.

Special tariff

 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) cases: in special cases like CSR, Banglalink
may provide special discounted pricing which are not to be treated as reference by any
other organization or lease
 
 Cases of national interest: in cases of national interest, Banglalink may provide
special discounted pricing on case to case basis which are not to be treated as
reference by any other organization or lease

40
 11 Corporate Social Responsibilities

8.1 Environment and Religious

8.1.1 Clean up Day
During International Coastal Cleanup day mass people are engaged in removing trash and
debris from different beaches and waterways of the world and generate awareness to change
the behaviors that cause pollution. It is a threat to marine wildlife and ecosystems; and
undermines tourism and economic activity, potentially threatening our food supply and
human health.  When we trash our ocean, we trash our life support system. Banglalink
celebrated this years’ “International Coastal Clean up Day”, in association with Kewkradong
Bangladesh, which is working as country coordinator for International Costal Cleanup.
“International Coastal Clean up Day” was held on the 25th September in more than 90
countries. In Bangladesh, for the fourth consecutive year, Banglalink has supported the
coastal clean up day. The event included a massive rally, beach cleaning and awareness
generation among the tourists and locals. Thousands of people turned up during the event,
showing their support to preserve and save the world’s longest sea beach. Volunteers from
Universities, local schools and scouts were active during the clean up. Present at the event
were Md. Gias Uddin Ahmed, Deputy Commissioner, Cox's Bazar - main guest, Gazi Ashraf
Hossain Lipu, former National Cricket Captain - special guest.
This “International beach clean up day” is the oldest voluntary event in the world and it
generates huge awareness among mass. Through organizing “International Coastal Cleanup
Day” we will be able to associate our corporate brand with the well being of environment and
the tourism platform.

8.2 Hajj Pilgrims at Hajj Camp

Every year, thousands of people from the Muslim community of Bangladesh gather at the
Hajj Camp where they depart for Hajj. This is an excellent opportunity for Banglalink to do

41
CSR activities and share the spirit with the Muslim community. In 2009, we provided free
phone service, free drinking water and free bus service from Hajj camp to the airport for the
Hajjis. We also provided the Hajj camp authority 50 trolleys. The activities were well
accepted by the community as well as the nation. This year, around 70,000 hajjis are expected
to avail the Hajj camp facilities. To continue with the good work, Banglalink is planning to
sponsor the following facilities in the Hajj camp premises which are going to be organized by
the Step Media Ltd.

Activities:


 2 branded AC buses (40 seats) to
provide transportation to the Hajj
Pilgrims for 45 days.
 Branding of the AC buses.
 3 branded water distribution zone (4ft
X 6ft).
 Daily 3400 liters of drinking water in
the distribution zone for 45 days.
 6 BPs for water distribution for 45
days.
 1 Phone counters with ACP, Ply, and
Wood etc (4ftX6ft).
 8,000 pcs Haji Kit bag.
 15,000 pcs Wrist Belt.
 1 pc Hajj office ACP indicator.
 100 pcs Mid Island Branding (with
wooden frame and solvent PVC) – (3ft
X 7ft).
 3 pcs Signboard Fascia Change.
 5,000 pcs Flag with stand.
 1 pc Main Gate at Airport Road to Hajj
Camp (45 days).
 1 pc Gate at the Hajj Camp Venue - In
(45 days).
 1 pc Information booth.
 Backdrop/ Decoration/ Invitation Card
for Opening Program.
 6 pcs Long Festoons with slogans.
 1 pc Citizen Charter board.
 100 pcs Waiting Chairs for Hajis.

8.2 Culture and Heritage

8.2.1 Boat Race

Banglalink sponsored “Banglalink 5th Khulna Boat Race-2011” on the 30th October, 2010 at
Rupsha Ghat near Khan Jahan Ali Bridge of Rupsha River in Lobonchora, Khulna. This is
the fifth time, Banglalink has sponsored boat race in Khulna.  Banglalink’s support to this
boat race, in partnership with Nagar shamajik O Sanskritik Kendra,Khulna - is in line with

42
our continued endeavor to promote local culture and heritage. More than 2 lac spectators
from all segments of the society had gathered to enjoy the Banglalink 5th Khulna Boat Race
which was exciting & filled with intense competition. After the end of the race, the prize
giving ceremony was held. Prizes were distributed by Chief Guest, Mr.Talukdar Abdul
Khaleq, Honorable Mayor, Khulna City Corporation. Mr. Najrul Islam Monju, Honorable
MP, Mr. Md Babul Haque, Regional Commercial Head, Banglalink, Khulna, Mr.Md Moshiur
Rahman, Division Commissioner, Khulna, Commodore S Imran (ND) PSC, BN, Khulna
Shipyard Ltd, Mr. Jomsher Ahmed Khandker, DC, Khulna were also present among the
special guests. The event was presided by Mr. Maruf Rashid, President, Nagar Shamajik O
Sanskritik Kendra, and Khulna. The event proved to be a reunion for the mass people of
entire Khulna Division. A total of 10 boats participated in the competition. Each boat was
consisted of 70-75 rowers. The exciting boat race included three laps from no. 1 Rupsha
custom ferry ghat to Khan Jahan Ali Bridge. The beautiful long boats were colorfully
decorated and in diversified shapes that pierced through the wavy water of Rupsha River.
Association of Banglalink with this event this year has further reinforced our position in the
national cultural arena.

8.2.2 Death Anniversary of Lalon

Banglalink has sponsored “121st Death Anniversary of Lalon” at Lalon Complex, Cheuria,
Kumerkhali, Kushtia from 16th October to 20th October, 2011. This is a traditional cultural
festival of national level. This fair “Lalon Mela” has already been established as one of the
largest cultural festivals of the country. This gigantic fair was first organized 100 years back
to observe the death anniversary of legendary BAUL Music king “Fakir Lalon Shah” in the
3rd week of October. Lalon Shah is the icon of baul music (type of folk song) in Bangladesh
& India. He is being considered as the founder of the “Baul” music. This is the 4 th
consecutive year Banglalink has sponsored the event. Primary objective of sponsoring “Lalon
Mela” is to portray banglalink as a socially responsible corporate to promote and generate
awareness of the local national events. Making the countrymen feel the difference and
bringing the national culture to the new generation. The five day long event included Folk
Music Festival by the bauls with the participation of famous artists and trade fair etc. As per
the local sources, during the 5 days event more than 1.5 Lac visitors attended. The event was
inaugurated by Mr. Abul Kalam Azad, Honorable Minister, Ministry of Information and
Cultural Affairs, Peoples Republic of Bangladesh. Mrs. Monnujan Sufian, Honorable State

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Minister, Ministry of Labor and Employment, Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, Mrs. Sultana
Tarun, Honorable MP, Kushtia 4, Mr. Zunaid Ahmed, Honorable MP, Nator 3,  Mr. Md
Abdul Mannan, DC, Kushtia, Mr. Md. Shahabuddin Khan BPM, Police Super, Kushtia, Dr.
Shamsujjaman Khan, Director, Bangla Academy, Dhaka, Dr. M Alauddin, Vice Chancellor,
Islamic University, Kushtia, Mr. Md. Taijal Ali Khan, Secretary, Lalon Academy,  Mr.
Rashed Hasan, Assistant Manager, PR & Communication, Banglalink were also present as
special guests. Lalon Mela is a common platform where mass people from all age, race
religion and income level participate. Not only the participants from the region attended but
also devotees from the entire country & foreign nations were there. Association of Banglalink
with this event this year has further reinforced our position in the national cultural arena.

12 BCG Growth–Share Matrix

GrameenPhone had become a leader, a star, in the market soon after it entered the industry.
While it took the company nearly five years from its start in 1997 to build a subscriber base
of 500,000 the company has been growing fast since then. While Robi has been in the market
as long as GrameenPhone has, it had failed to take the aggressive growth strategies that GP
had used from the beginning, such as heavy promotion to build brand loyalty. It grew quite
slowly and tried to improve their technology and network slowly without creating too much
hype. However, Robi has stepped up its promotional activities and is fast gathering more and
more market share. Hence, with an impressive growth rate of nearly 200%, this question
mark may become a star not too far in the future. Banglalink was as good as dead, and thus,
a dog (even in a high growth market) while it operated under the brand name Sheba.
However, with the change in ownership, it is giving the star and the second operator of the
country a run for its money. While it may seem too ambitious saying that it would overtake
the leader anytime soon, it is certainly a possibility. Considering the fact that it is setting up
BTS towers at a rate faster than its competitors and thus trying to repair its image as the worst
network provider, plans to have all 61 districts covered by the end of the year, which took
others years to build, it shows their aggressive stance in acquiring market share. The growth
in subscriber base certainly reflects this aggressive positioning. It took Banglalink merely 4
months to build a subscriber base of 400,000, while it took nearly five years for its largest
competitor to build a subscriber base of 500,000. Hence, while both Robi and Banglalink are

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still question marks in the model they are both giving the star of the market a hard time, and
may soon displace it, if it does not do something soon about its packages. It is difficult to map
CityCell using the BCG matrix, mostly because it has a very low relative market share and a
very poor growth rate in an industry with impressive growth rate and hence falls in the under-
developed category. This may, however, be explained away with the fact that CityCell
operates through the use of CDMA technology while the rest of the market is following the
GSM technology, with GrameenPhone having just moved into GPRS & EDGE recently.
However, with the purchase of PBTL by SingTel for an amount of nearly $60 million,
CityCell may be in for some expansion and show signs of change in the years to come. With
only 250,000 subscribers, Teletalk has a relative market share that falls below 0.1 and hence
does not fall into any of the quadrants. Moreover, while the growth rate of Teletalk indicates
that it may overtake CityCell soon, with the litigation, it is under, and expansion plans of
CityCell, it is still in question.

Market
Growth Rate

Relative
Market share

Figure: BCG Matrix

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 13 SWOT Analysis

4.1 Strengths

Huge capital investment: As mentioned earlier, Orascom Telecom has great plans for
Banglalink. Wherever OTH has gone, it has become the industry leader there or is on its way
there. A possible explanation is that the organization kicks of its companies with a huge
capital outlay to help get rid of or solve all the hitches.

Expertise: As mentioned earlier, OTH had over 1000 people, including 15 experts, working
on the infrastructure to get the company started in a record four months. These experts, with
several years of experience in the telecom industry, now help in the day-to-day operation of
the business.

Tight control over sales process: Many people in the industry do not know the sales
process, since it is dealt by their distributors and dealers. However, with the Direct Sales
Booth, the people involved know the sales process intimately and are responsible for
achieving the sales target and project implementation, thus giving the company a strong
control over the process.

4.2 Weaknesses

Network: The greatest weakness of Banglalink and also the most widely criticized service is
its network. While the reception is quite clear when the user is out of doors, once inside, the
reception breaks up.

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The worst part is the company has entered a market where the industry leader has been
reigning supreme for years now and people are bound to compare the leader’s services with
Banglalink’s performance, even if it is fairly new to the market. People tend to forget that it
had taken the leader more than three years since its start to provide its subscribers with a
decent connection; hence it is with Grameen’s present performance that Banglalink is
compared and sure enough the latter does not fare well.

Unorganized structure: OTH bought off Sheba (Pvt.) Limited September 2004 and
immediately started changing the structure of the loosing concern. They are constantly
recruiting people, adding/deleting levels to the organ gram. Thus, the environment is
constantly chaotic, with many people not knowing who to contact or whom to report to and
who is responsible for what. This takes away time and energy away from the selling
activities.

Inadequate human resources: While many people drop off their CVs at the office on a
regular basis, finding sufficient numbers of people, with the correct qualifications, has
become hard to find. Hence, a handful of people are doing the work of many leading to back
log of work.

Bureaucracy: The new management is trying to create a system where each individual is
responsible and accountable for his duties. While it is a good idea, it has also created a
bottleneck at the administrative & financial level, where work gets stuck and stays stuck until
all papers are properly signed and taken care of.

4.3 Opportunities

Re-invent itself: As mentioned earlier, the company created a strong buzz when it entered
the market. Previously an unknown entity, many people now know of the existence of
Orascom Telecom. They have done their studies and know that OTH stands for success.
Thus, the people are ready to see Banglalink as a total different entity from its predecessor
and are willing to give it another chance to re-invent its image in the market; not an issue to
be taken lightly by the company

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 4.4 Threats

Price wars: While in the true sense it had been Banglalink who started this price war with its
M2M package, it has created a series of price cuts that many cannot afford. After eight years
of high call charges, Grameen Phone has finally decreased its rates.

BTTB has also entered this battle with Teletalk Bangladesh Limited. With free T&T
incoming and outgoing, this is sure to become popular once it gains access to other operators’
networks.

Tax: The country's mobile telecom operators said tax on SIM and mobile handsets in the
proposed national budget is the biggest barrier to the telecom sector growth and demanded
withdrawal of those to materialize the government's dream to establish digital Bangladesh.

14 Recommendation

Banglalink is company with some substantial internal strength and some weaknesses as well.
However, their weaknesses are nothing that cannot be turned into strengths.

For the last half of a decade they have been the cost leaders of Bangladesh’s mobile phone
market. But recently, after the arrival of Warid, they are facing the threat of losing their title
of market cost leaders.

They already have control over a good share of the market. If the coupled that with a network
coverage rivaling that of Grameen Phone’s they will be able to get a much more significant
portion of the market. Hence, we believe, an Aggressive Strategy should be implemented
where they invest to improve their network coverage and therefore really give GP a run for
their money.

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