Telecommunication in Bangladesh

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1.1 Origin of the report:
At the beginning we are very much grateful to Almighty Allah for giving us strength and
opportunity and sound mind to complete the report. It is common practice to thank all those
people who contributed to the task that one has to achieve and we see no reason to change
this custom. We have received endless support and guidance in preparation of this report
from numerous sources. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them all. We also
like to thank our honorable teacher MD.Kamrul Hasan for his helping mentality.
1.2 Background of the study:
“Watson, come here: I want you.” This was the first message ever transmitted from one place
to another, through a device called telephone. American genius, Alexander Graham Bell
(1847-1922) along with his assistant Thomas Watson invented the device. It was March 10,
1876, an important day for human civilization, the first step towards developing means of
communication
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) an independent
Regulatory Commission established under the Bangladesh Telecommunication Act, 2001,
(Act no18 of 2001) published by the parliament in the Bangladesh Gazette extraordinary in
new on April 16, 2001. BTRC started his journey from 31st January 2002 to conduct the
activities of the said act. With a initiation of its activates, necessary authority, responsibilities
and related concern of the ministry of posts and Telecommunications were vested on to
BTRC
1.3 Objective of the study:
Broad Objective: under the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Act
2001. The Act has delineated its objectives as follows:
• To encourage the orderly development of Telecommunication System that enhance
and strengthens the social and economic welfare of Bangladesh ;
• To ensure in keeping with the prevalent Social and economic realities of Bangladesh,
access to reliable, reasonably price and modern Telecommunication services and internet.
Services for the greatest number of people as far as practicable;
• To ensure the efficiency of the national Telecommunication System and it capability
to complete in both the national and international spheres;
• To prevent and abolish discrimination in providing telecommunication services, to
progressively effect reliance and competitive and market oriented system and in keeping
with these objectives to ensure effective control of the Commission;

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Specific objective: To prepare and submit the term paper within specified time.
To have a very practical idea and over viewing the telecommunication sector focusing on a
specific company and their performance Present Company’s current mission, vision,
objectives, and goals. Find out their strength, weakness, opportunities, threats. Defining their
market segmentation, target market and product positioning and key marketing areas.
1.3 Scope of the research:
This research will try to answer the problem statement stated. This means, the investigation
will follow the pathway provided by the theoretical framework. The readers might sometimes
feel that, more investigation could have been done. Or the theoretical framework should have
designed with more corresponding theories. But considering the time frame and size of the
research paper, we tried to nail down the topic as much as possible and had tried to formulate
the 8 description in a concise way. The inability of physical presence in the Company and the
country also limits the in-depth research.
1.4 Methodology:
We have conducted the literature search connected to the topic to support and direct the
research. This search was mainly conducting on the University databases, Journal databases,
websites and Textbooks.
We have searched the databases provided by search engines like Google and textbooks. The
key words mainly used were Bangladesh Telecom industry, Telecom future, Bangladesh
telecom Market.
In the full range of articles and journals on the subject of internationals marketing, investing
in a new market, the We have found one of them very useful on the subject of “Bangladesh
Telecom Brief 2014” This paper tells the inside of offering and the potential what Bangladesh
market offers, not exactly the same subject but one major side of our paper has the subject of
same interest.
The Theoretical Framework has been created with the help of some text books on
International Marketing and marketing in general. Text books of marketing such as
“International marketing” by Cateora & Ghauri (2006), “Internationall Marketing” by
Bennett & Blythe (2002) and On Competition of Porter M. (1998) has been used for this
project.
Many foreign investors are now interested to do business in telecom sector in Bangladesh
which reveals that Bangladesh has become a significant hub for telecoms. It has been
forecasted that the average revenue from telecoms sector will be Tk1500crore2 a year.
Bangladesh is a country which is densely populated and also is a flat and easily extends able

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coverage. The infrastructure and Tele-density is low which on the other hand made the
market a perfect place for telecom business. The demand is very high and the consumer base
is very large but the investment is low because of the topographic layout. The government
has a receptive foreign investment policy with no restrictions on repatriation of profit. Even
though the current infrastructure is not much developed but it is suitable for foreign
investment.
Bangladesh has a huge potential in WiMax and submarine cable which is a new technology
in the country and has attracted the foreign telecom operators. Many foreign telecom
operators are coming to Bangladesh to explore the potentiality of the technology.
The government is encouraging private sector to invest more in the industry as they think that
the industry is playing a vital role in developing the socioeconomic structure of the country.
And to ensure that, the government has taken several attempt. Giving private sector the
license for fixed line telephone is one of those attempts. Due to the environmental facts, the
foreign entrants should adjust their equipments according to demand of the environment
1.5 Definitions & Acronyms
Telecommunications, also called telecommunication, is the exchange of information over
significant distances by electronic means. A complete, single telecommunications circuit
consists of two stations, each equipped with a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter and
receiver at any station may be combined into a single device called a transceiver. The
medium of signal transmission can be electrical wire or cable (also known as “copper”),
optical fiber. The free-space transmission and reception of data by means of electromagnetic
fields is called wireless.
1.6 Limitation
Difficulty in accessing latest data of internal operations.
It is difficult to provide customer related information regarding their service
To collect the secret information was very difficult for one because of the excessive
nature of confidential maintained by the officials
Lacking of primary information
Survey on few numbers of people
Limitation of time

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2.1(a) History of GrameenPhone Limited:
The idea of providing wider mobile phone access to rural areas was originally conceived by
Iqbal Quadir, who is currently the founder and director of the Legatum Center
for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT.He was inspired by the Grameen
Bank microcredit model and envisioned a business model where a cell phone can serve as
asource of income. After leaving his job as an investment banker in the United States,Quadir
traveled back to Bangladesh, after meeting and successfully raising money from New York
based investor and philanthropist Joshua Mailman, and worked for three yearsgaining support
from various organizations including Nobel Peace Prize laureateMuhammad Yunus of
Grameen Bank and the Norwegian telephone company, Telenor.He was finally successful in
forming a consortium with Telenor and Grameen Bank toestablish Grameenphone.
Quadir remained a shareholder of Grameenphone until 2004.Grameenphone received a
license for cellular phone operation in Bangladesh from theMinistry of Posts and
Telecommunications on November 28, 1996. Grameenphonestarted operations on March 26,
1997, the Independence Day in Bangladesh.Grameenphone originally offered a mobile-to-
mobile connectivity (widely known as GP-GP connection), which created a lot of enthusiasm
among the users. It became the firstoperator to reach the million subscriber milestone as well
as ten million subscriber milestone in Bangladesh.

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2.2(a)Background of GrameenPhone Limited:
Grameenphone widely known as GP is the leading telecommunications service provider
in Bangladesh. With more than 37.7 million subscribers (as of April 2012), Grameenphone is
the largest cellular operator in the country. It is a joint venture enterprise
between Telenor and Grameen Telecom Corporation, a non-profit sister concern of the
internationally acclaimed microfinance organization and community development
bank Grameen Bank. When Grameenphone started its journey cell phone was a luxury
product for everyone. Before the advent of Grameenphone cell phone was mostly used by
some urban people. Grameenphone started its journey with Village phone program. This
initiative was taken to empower rural women of Bangladesh. Grameenphone started their
journey on 26th March 1997.Since then Grameenphone has come a long way. It became the
first and only operator to cover 98% of the country’s people with network. Grameenphone
has built the largest cellular network in the country with over 13,000 base stations in more
than 7000 locations. It is the first company to introduce GSM technology. Grameenphone’s
the first operator to start the pre-paid service in September 1999.It also established 24 hour
call center, started offering value added services like VMS, SMS, fax and data transmission
services, international roaming service, WAP,SMS-based push pull services, EDGE, personal
ring back tone and many other products and services.
The technology used by GP can only be described as state of the art. GP’s Global System for
Mobile or GSM technology is the most widely accepted digital system in the world, currently
used by over 300 million people in 150 countries. GSM brings the most advanced
developments in cellular technology at a reasonable cost by spurring severe competition
among manufacturers and driving down the cost of equipment. Thus consumers get the best
for the least.
As a result GP is delivering the digital revolution to the doorsteps of the poor and
unconnected. By being able to connect to urban areas or even to foreign countries, a whole
new world of opportunity is opening up for the villagers in Bangladesh. Grameen Bank
borrowers who provide the services are uplifting themselves economically through a new
means of income generation while at the same time providing valuable phone service to their
fellow villagers. The telephone is a weapon against poverty.

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2.3(a)Branding Grameenphone:
The name or names that identify a company’s products can be very important
in positionin g them. The brand name distinguis hes a product from
competitor’s products. A strong brand identity creates major competitive
advantages. A brand that is recognized by buyers encourages repeat
purchases. Grameenpho ne is successful in its products branding.
Corporate branding places primary emphasis on building brand identity using
the corporate name. Grameen phone has become a corporate name in telecommunication
business in Bangladesh. Corporate branding offers the advantage of using one
advertising and sales promotion program to support all of the firm’s products.
And it is often found in Grameenphone advertisements. Corporate branding has become a
branding strategy because the product offering is relatively narrow in
telecommunication business.
The Vision, the Missionand the Objective
Company Vision
“We are here to help”
Company Mission:
The vision will be achieved by
Connecting Bangladesh with ease and care
Being user-friendly
Providing value for money
Providing simple and timely connections
Having a right and understandable process

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Objectives of the GrameenPhone: GrameenPhone’s basic strategy is the coverage of
both urban and rural areas. The Company has devised its strategies so that it earns healthy
returns for its shareholders and at the same time, contributes to genuine development of the
country. In short, it pursues a dual strategy of good business and good development.
Serving the mass market is one of GP’s primary goals. By serving the general public as
opposed to niche markets, the Company plans to achieve economies of scale and healthy
profits. At the same time, service to the general public means connectivity to a wider
population and general economic development of the country. In contrast to the “island”
strategy followed by some companies, which involves connecting isolated islands of urban
coverage through transmission links, GrameenPhone builds continuous coverage, cell after
cell. While the intensity of coverage may vary from area to area depending on market
conditions, the basic strategy of cell-to-cell coverage is applied throughout GrameenPhone’s
network. In addition, GP has positioned itself to capitalize on the declining prices of
handsets, making its goal to serve the general public realistic.
The Purpose: GrameenPhone has a dual purpose to receive an economic return on its
investments and to contribute to the economic development of Bangladesh where
telecommunications can play a critical role. This is why GrameenPhone, in collaboration with
Grameen Bank and Grameen Telecom, is aiming to place one phone in each village to
contribute significantly to the economic benefit of the poor.
The Strategies: GrameenPhone’s strategy is coverage of both urban and rural areas. In
contract to the “island” strategy followed by some companies, which involves connecting
isolated islands of urban coverage through transmission links, GrameenPhone builds
continuous coverage, cell after cell. While the intensity of coverage may vary from area to
area depending on market conditions, the basic strategy of cell-to-cell coverage is applied
throughout GrameenPhone’s network.
The People:The people who are making it happen- the employees are young, dedicated
and energetic. All of them are well educated at home or abroad, with both sexes (gender) and
minority groups in Bangladesh being well represented. They know win their in hearts that
GrameenPhone is more than phones. This sense of purpose gives them the dedication and the
drive, production-in about five years- the biggest coverage and subscriber-base in the

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country. GrameenPhone knows that the talents and energy of its employees are critical to its
operation and treats them accordingly.
The Technology:GrameenPhone’s Global System for Mobile or GSM technology is the
most widely accepted digital system in the world, currently used by over 750 million people
in 150 countries. GSM brings the most advanced development in cellular technology at a
reasonable cost by spurring severe competition among manufactures and driving down the
cost of equipment. Thus consumers get the best for the least.
Company Service: GrameenPhone believes in service, a service that leads to good
business and good development. Telephony helps people work together, raising their
productivity. This gain in productivity is development, which in turn enables them to afford a
telephone service, generating a good business. Thus development and business go together.

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2.1(b)History of Robi :
Robi launched its operations on the 15 November, 1997 in Dhaka and on 26 March, 1998 in
Chittagong as Aktel. Its founding chairman is Late Mr. Zahiruddin Khan, an ex-commerce
minister. Aktel was formed as a joint-venture between Telekom Malaysia and A.K. Khan
Company. All along through its insception it was ranked as No.2 mobile operator and was
placed far behind the industry leader GrameenPhone in terms of revenue and no. of
subscribers. Aktel started investing heavily with funds from Telekom Malaysia (the majority
stake owner) on expanding its network in 2001 but the investment was far too inadequate in
comparison with GrameenPhone’s investment. Although customer base was increasing
heavily its position remained at No.2. Unlike GrameenPhone, Aktel kept very low in
marketing its brand. But from the end of 2004, Aktel spent heavily to market its brand all
over the media, outdoor and other marketing mediums. It was a huge success and the Aktel
brand became well established. Credit was given to the then Chief Operating Officer Mr.
Vijay Watson who is believed to be the mastermind behind the change and success of Robi.
In mid 2008 news broke out that A.K.Khan & Company was selling its 30% and Vodafone,
etisalat and NTT DoCoMo were among the potential buyers. Mr. AK Shamsuddin Khan,
Chairman A.K.Khan & Company and Mr. Salahuddin Kasem Khan, former Chairman of
Aktel and Managing Director of A.K.Khan & Co Ltd represented the sellers After months of
negotiation NTT DoCoMo sealed a deal with A.K.Khan & Company for US $ 350mln on
June 2008. The deal was completed on September 19, 2008.

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2.2(b)Background Robi Axiata Limited:
Robi Axiata Limited is a dynamic and leading countrywide GSM communication solution
provider. It is a joint venture company between Axiata Group Berhad, Malaysia and NTT
DOCOMO INC, Japan. Robi Axiata Limited, formerly known as Telekom Malaysia
International (Bangladesh), commenced its operation in 1997 under the brand name Aktel
among the pioneer GSM mobile telecommunications service providers in Bangladesh. Later,
on 28th March, 2010 the company started its new journey with the brand name Robi.
Robi is truly a people-oriented brand of Bangladesh. Robi, the people's champion, is there for
the people of Bangladesh, where they want and the way they want. Having the local tradition
at its core Robi marches ahead with innovation and creativity. To ensure leading-edge
technology, Robi has the international expertise of Axiata and NTT DOCOMO INC. It
supports 2G voices, CAMEL Phase II & III and GPRS/EDGE service with high-speed
Internet connectivity. Its GSM service is based on a robust network architecture and cutting
edge technology such as Intelligent Network (IN), which provides peace-of-mind solutions in
terms of voice clarity, extensive nationwide network coverage and multiple global partners
for international roaming. It has the widest International Roaming coverage in Bangladesh
connecting 550 operators across 205 countries. Its customer centric solution includes value
added services (VAS), quality customer care, easy access call centers, digital network
security and flexible tariff rates.
With its strengths and competencies developed over the years, Robi aims to provide the best
quality service experience in terms of coverage and connectivity to its customers all over
Bangladesh. Together with its unique ability to develop local insights, Robi creates distinct
services with local flavor to remain close to the hearts of its customer.

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2.3(b)Brand image Robi Axiata Limited:
Robi Axiata Limited started its commercial operations as a GSM cellular phone operator with
the objective of offering state-of-the-art and modern telecommunication services to the
people of Bangladesh at competitive prices is unique. Our new brand is people-centric. We
exist because of them. Anything is now possible. Any new idea is apprecitated no matter
where it comes from within the organization. It is all in our own hands now.”
To help people understand the idea mentioned above, the company described the new brand
in terms of purpose and principles.
Vision
To be the most preferred GSM cellular service provider in Bangladesh.
Mission
To provide total customer satisfaction as the company strives to become the most preferred
GSM cellular service provider in Bangladesh. TMIB will achieve this through developing
people, products, and services of the highest quality and meeting the needs of its employees,
shareholders and the nation.
1) Total quality objective
2) Total commitment to the needs of our customers,
3) Following the highest ethics standards,
4) Continual improvement of all work processes,
5) Permanent improvement of all the employees knowledge and skills,
6) Securing quality of the service to match the quality of services offered by the world’s
most successful companies in the field
7) Preserving the Company’s leading position in the national market of mobile
telecommunications.

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SWOT Analysis:
In comparison with the top two telecom companies in Bangladesh I tried to come up with a
SWOT analysis of Robi Axiata Ltd. The SWOT Analysis is described below:-
Strengths:
• Strong Capital base
• Experienced management team
• Diversified funding sources
• Outstanding market share
• Corporate shareholding structure
• Diversified business exposure
Weaknesses:
• Significant deterioration in Asset Quality
having adequate provisions
• High ownership concentration
• Declining financial performance
• MIS needs further development
• Single unit Financial Institution
• High turnover in top & mid tier
management
Opportunities: Threats:

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• Business expansion opportunities
• SME financing
• Fund raising through new
financial products
• Capital market operation
• Scope of product diversification
• Commercial banks portfolio
• Expansion to lease financing
• Increasing local and foreign cost of fund
• New entrants into the market

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2.1(c) History of Airtel :
Bangladesh was the first South Asian country to adopt cellular technology back in 1993 by
introducing Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS). In fact, the first mobile license was
issued back in 1989 but it took several years to launch the services. The network coverage
and number of subscribers had remained very limited due to exorbitantly high subscription
cost and call tariff. The telecommunications sector in Bangladesh is one of the fastest
growing industries and has helped boost the economic and social development in the country.
Since then, the country's cellular industry never looked back, now it has curved into the prime
communications provider during the last decade as sub sector within telecom sector.
This sub-sector has created new opportunities by generating employment, facilitating
education and health services for common people. Now there are six telecom operators
successfully running business in Bangladesh. These are: Grameen Phone, Robi, Airtel,
Banglalink, Citycell, and Teletalk. The majority shares of all these companies except Teletalk
are held by multination telecom corporations. Airtel is the sixth mobile phone carrier to enter
the Bangladesh market, and originally launched commercial operations under the brand name
"Warid Telecom" on May 10, 2007.[2] Bharti Airtel Limited took management control of the
company and its board, and rebranded the company's services under its own Airtel brand
from December 20, 2010. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission
approved the deal on Jan 4, 2010

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2.3(c) Background Airtel Limited:
In January 2010, Bharti Airtel Limited, Asia’s leading integrated telecom services provider,
acquired 70% stake in Warid Telecom, Bangladesh, a subsidiary of the UAE-based Abu
Dhabi Group.
Bharti Airtel is making a fresh investment of USD 300 million to rapidly expand the
operations of Warid Telecom and have management and board control of the company. This
is the largest investment in Bangladesh by an Indian company. Dhabi Group continues as a
strategic partner retaining 30% shareholding and has its nominees on the Board of the
Company.
The new funding is being utilised for expansion of the network, both for coverage and
capacity, and introduction of innovative products and services. As a result of this additional
investment, the overall investment in the company will be in the region of USD 1 billion.
This is Bharti Airtel’s second operation outside of India. The company launched its mobile
services in Sri Lanka in January 2009 on a state-of-the-art 3.5G network. The company
crossed the 1 million customers mark within six months of launch on the back of innovative
offerings as well as rapid expansion of network coverage and distribution.

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2.3© Brand image of airtel :
Vision:
To become the essential communication provider in Bangladesh of high quality voice and
innovative data services by offering affordable products and services to all market segments
and to become an integral part of their everyday lives.
airtel Telecom's brand values include:
•Simplicity
•Honesty
•Innovation
•Quality
•Dynamic
•Friendly
•Establish and sustain as a customer centric organization
•Provide high quality and innovative communication services, through state of theart
infrastructure and a team of professionals
•Continuously develop, motivate and empower our people
•Achieve profitable growth for all our stakeholders
SWOT Analysis for Airtel Bangladesh Limited:
A SWOT has been done for the better understanding about the ongoing working process and
areas where improvement can be possible. SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method
used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats involved in the
company. There are so many opportunities that can help the company to be more flourished
in the telecom industry of Bangladesh.

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Strength
•Global brand image
•Low call rate
•Established management
•Competitve pricing strategy
•Dedicated and customer oriented employees
•Strong economic and financial base
Weaknesses
•Limited coverage
•Poor Edge/GPRS service
•Weak network
•Lack of communications among departments
•Poor distribution channel in rural areas
Opportunities
•Better 3G offers
•Increasing commercial usage
•Increasing number of active cell phone users
•Government‟s planning of introducing 4G Network
•Promoting m-commerce service
Threats
•Price wars among compitiors
•Government regulations and political instability
•Better quality service provided by other companies, specially network coverage

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2.4 Distinctiveness:
System :GSM System :GSM System :GSM
Frequency (MHz) :900 Frequency (MHz) :900 Frequency (MHz) :900
market share: 43.83% market share:18.17% market share:6.13%
Call Rate: 75
paisa/min+VAT
Call Rate: 1.5 paisa/sec Call Rate: 0.79TK/min
3G Download Speed :0.4
Mb/s
Mb/s
Mb/s
Cell Towers : 824,297 Cell Towers : 356,961 Cell Towers : 213,321
Signal Readings :
5,186,324,530
Signal Readings :
4,564,214,432
Signal Readings :
3,456,241,320
customer service: 24 hour customer service: 24 hour customer service: 24 hour
Online Customer Service Online Customer Service Online Customer Service
Prepaid and Postpaid Packages Prepaid and Postpaid Packages Prepaid and Postpaid Packages

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0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Student
Service holder
Business man
Housewife
Retired
Other
Chart 1: Customer Occupation
3.1 Survey Findings and Analysis:
After conducting survey from 40 people we found some important information about
customer preference in choosing mobile operating brand. In this section we will show the
result of the qoutanaire and analysis them briefly.
Q No. 1: CustomerOccupation:
Occupation Frequency RF RF(%) CRF
Student 21 0.525 53% 53%
Service holder 12 0.3 30% 83%
Businessman 4 0.1 10% 93%
Housewife 0 0 0% 93%
Retired 0 0 0% 93%
Other 3 0.075 8% 100%
Total 40 1 100%

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0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
GRAMEENPHONE
ROBI
AIRTEL
BANGLALINK
TELETALK
CITYCELL
Most preferred Mobile Telecom Brand
Analysis: The question about occupation was asked for understanding the relation
between the purchase intention and choice of connection based on customers’ occupation.
From the above charts and table we come to know that, 53% of the people of survey were
student, 30% Service holder, 10% Business man and 8% belong to the other occupation.
Q No. 2: Most preferred Mobile Telecom Brand: This is the most necessary
question of this survey. The intention of knowing the name of the operator that customers use
is to analyze all aspects about competitive operators available in Bangladesh elaborately and
compare them with top three brands to come to a decision.
PreferredBrands Frequency RF RF(%) CRF
GRAMEENPHONE 14 0.35 35% 35%
ROBI 9 0.225 23% 58%
AIRTEL 7 0.175 18% 75%
BANGLALINK 6 0.15 15% 90%
TELETALK 4 0.1 10% 100%
CITYCELL 0 0 0% 100%
Total 40 1 100%

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95%
5%
Package CustomerUse
Prepaid
Post Paid
Analysis: Among 40 respondents GP is in the first position based on number of users
which is 35%. Then Robi is in the 2nd position with 23%, and Airtle is in the 3th position
with 18%. In our report we are going to discuss about these three leading brands.
Q No. 3: Mobile Package Customer Use:
Package Frequency RF RF(%) CRF
Prepaid 38 0.95 95% 95%
Post Paid 2 0.05 5% 100%
40 1 100%
Analysis: Among 40 respondents 95% people use Prepaid package and 5% use postpaid
package.

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55%
45%
SIM cards Customersare using
Single-Sim
Duel-Sim
Q No. 4: Number of SIM cards Customers are using:
SIM Frequency RF RF(%) CRF
Single-SIM 22 0.55 55% 55%
Duel-SIM 18 0.45 45% 100%
40 1 100%
Analysis: Among 40 respondents 55% customers use one connection and 45% use 2
operators.
Q No. 5: Who influenced you to use the connection: The question was included
in the survey to inquire the influential group while buying a connection. These groups can
highly affect the person’s brand and package choice. We will identify which type of group is
the highest influential.

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Influential Group Frequency RF RF(%) CRF
Yourself 18 0.45 45% 45%
Friends 11 0.275 28% 73%
Familymembers 7 0.175 18% 90%
Relatives 2 0.05 5% 95%
Employee ofthe company 0 0 0% 95%
Others 2 0.05 5% 100%
Total 40 1 100%
Analysis: Most of the people choose the mobile operator with their own influence. In our
say we found that 45% people choose the brand by their own. 28% of people got influenced
by the friends,18% by family and 2% by relatives and others.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Yourself Friends Family
members
Relatives Employee
of the
company
Others
Yourself
Friends
Family members
Relatives
Employee of the
company
Others
Influential Group

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0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Less than 1
year
1 year 2 years 3 years 3 years and
adove
loyalty towardsthe mobile operator
Less than 1 year
1 year
2 years
3 years
3 years and adove
Q No. 6: Customer’s mobile connection usage duration: The question on
connection duration will help to understand that for how long the consumers been with the
particular operator they are using. From this we can easily assume their loyalty towards that
mobile operator.
Duration Frequency RF RF(%) CRF
Less than 1 year 2 0.05 5% 5%
1 year 5 0.125 13% 18%
2 years 6 0.15 15% 33%
3 years 10 0.25 25% 58%
3 years and adove 17 0.425 43% 100%
Total 40 1 100%
Analysis: About 43% of people in our survey using mobile operator for 3years and above.
23% are using for 3 year, 15% 2years, 13% year and 5% less than 1 year
Q No. 7: Which factor/s you have considered at the time of purchasing the
connection: This question was asked to know which factor/s affects the customers most
while purchasing the connection. Another objective was to know the high demanding factor
while having any connection.

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0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Call rate Network Service Brand image Others
Factors in choosing mobile operator
Call rate
Network
Service
Brand image
Others
Factors Frequency RF RF(%) CRF
Call rate 13 0.325 33% 33%
Network 14 0.35 35% 68%
Service 7 0.175 18% 85%
Brand image 4 0.1 10% 95%
Others 2 0.05 5% 100%
40 1 100%
Analysis: From this chart we found out the factors affecting purchase decision. We can see that
customers rated network, call rate and service as the most important factor while buying any
connection. Especially GP users preferred network and AT users prefer call rate as the most important
factor for buying the connection.
Q No. 8: The major reasonof my satisfaction to the mobile operator is: This
question will identify the factors that affected the most for the satisfaction of the customers
towards the operator.

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Low call rate 10 0.25 25% 35
Well networkcoverage 15 0.375 38% 63%
Goodinternetservice and Packages 6 0.15 15% 78%
Goodbrand image 5 0.125 13% 90%
Numberof FNFs 2 0.05 5% 95%
Others 2 0.05 5% 100%
Total 40 1 100%
Analysis: From the chart we can see that 38% users chosen network, 25% chosen call rate,
15% chosen service,13% chosen Brand Image,5% chose fnf and other services as their main
factor for satisfaction.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Low call
rate
Well
network
coverage
Good
internet
service
and
Packages
Good
brand
image
Number
of FNFs
Others
Low call rate
Well network
coverage
Good internet
service and
Packages
Good brand image
Number of FNFs
Others
Reasons of Customer's satisfactiontothe mobile operator

27
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Poor
network
High call
rate
Useless
SMS
Poor
internet
Offers
Poor
customer
care
service
Others
Poor network
High call rate
Useless SMS
Poor internet Offers
Poor customer care
service
Others
Reasons of Customer's Dissatisfaction to the mobile operator
Q No. 9: The major reasonof my Dis-satisfactionto the mobile operatoris:
Poor network 10 0.25 25% 35
High call rate 12 0.3 30% 55%
UselessSMS 8 0.2 20% 75%
Poor internetOffers 5 0.125 13% 88%
Poor customer care service 3 0.075 8% 95%
Others 2 0.05 5% 100%
Total 40 1 100%

28
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
1 2 3 4 5
GRAMEENPHONE
ROBI
AIRTEL
Note: Scaling Notations
1= Strongly Agree
2= Agree
3= Neutral
4= Disagree
5= Strongly Disagree
Q No. 10: Network Coverage of my mobile operator is very wide: Quality of
network matters the most if anyone wants to use a mobile operator. This was the reason to
include the question about the quality of the network that the customers are using.
Analysis: Those who rated scale “1” for their connections’ network coverage is only GP.
Among all of them GP is in the 1st position. Other than almost all operators users have some
issues with their network coverage that means they rated “4” for that actor. On rate “4” there
are Robi and AT. However, there are a few users of Robi and Airtle who are dissatisfied with
their network coverage. But in the “neutral” scale Robi is in the fast and Airtle the last.
PreferredBrands 1 RF 2 RF 3 RF 4 RF 5 RF User
GRAMEENPHONE 3 21% 6 43% 5 36% 0 0% 0 0% 14
ROBI 0 0% 3 33% 5 56% 1 11% 0 0% 9
AIRTEL 0 0% 0 0% 2 29% 3 43% 2 29% 7
Network Coverage

29
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
1 2 3 4 5
GRAMEENPHONE
ROBI
AIRTEL
Q No. 11: Call Rate of the connection is standard: According to our
survey “Call Rate” is the second most important feature for determining customer
satisfaction. This question was included to identify which operator’s customers are
most satisfied with their call rate.
Analysis: From the chart and table we can see that 29% users are satisfied with the AT call
rate. That means among 7 users 2 users are satisfied. Robi users are neutral and sometimes
dissatisfied with their connection. AT is the main competitor of Robi and, GP is in the nearer
position to Robi in competition.
Q No. 12: Price of SIM is moderate
The question was included in the survey to identify which operator’s SIM price is satisfactory
to the customers. From this survey we can recognize the affordability of the users in case of
SIM price.
Brand 1 RF 2 RF 3 RF 4 RF 5 RF User
GRAMEENPHONE 0 0% 0 0% 7 50% 6 43% 1 7% 14
ROBI 0 0% 1 10% 6 60% 1 10% 2 20% 9
AIRTEL 0 0% 2 29% 5 71% 0 0% 0 0% 7
Call Rate

30
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
1 2 3 4 5
GRAMEENPHONE
ROBI
AIRTEL
Price of SIM
Analysis: In terms of price of a SIM card, Robi takes the first position because it has 33%
satisfied and 67% neutral customers. Besides, GP takes the second position because it has
86% neutral and 14% satisfied customers.
Q No. 13: Free Talk Time & Bonus Facilities are good: This question was
included to understand the level of satisfaction of the customers in terms of free talk time and
bonus facilities of the operators they use. In addition it will help to identify which operator
satisfied their customers the most based on that factor.
Brands 1 RF 2 RF 3 RF 4 RF 5 RF User
GRAMEENPHONE 0 0% 2 14% 12 86% 0 0% 0 0% 14
ROBI 0 0% 3 33% 6 67% 0 0% 0 0% 9
AIRTEL 0 0% 2 29% 5 71% 0 0% 0 0% 7

31
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
1 2 3 4 5
GRAMEENPHONE
ROBI
AIRTEL
Analysis: From the chart we can see that most of the users are neutral and there are some
satisfied customers.
GRAMEENPHONE 0 0% 4 29% 8 57% 2 14% 0 0% 14
ROBI 0 0% 4 44% 5 56% 0 0% 0 0% 9
AIRTEL 2 29% 2 29% 3 43% 0 0% 0 0% 7
Free Talk Time & Bonus Facilities

32
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
1 2 3 4 5
GRAMEENPHONE
ROBI
AIRTEL
Q No. 14: I don’t have to walk or travel a lot to find my mobile operator’s
recharge points: Sometimes customers have to go a long way to find their operators’
recharge point which they don’t want. So this question was added to identify which
operator’s recharge point is nearer to the customer’s location of work or living.
Analysis: According to this factor GP is in good position as most of the GP customers are
satisfied with the location of recharge point. However, Robi and AT are the main competitors
of GP in terms of this factor.
Q No. 15: Friends & Family (F&F)Number Facility my mobile operator
provides is goodenough: This question was asked to inquire whether the customers
were satisfied with their operator’s FnF facility or not. This will also reveal about the quality
of that facility as well as the name of the operator that provided the most satisfactory FnF
facility.
GRAMEENPHONE 0 0% 2 14% 12 86% 0 0% 0 0% 14
ROBI 0 0% 3 33% 6 67% 0 0% 0 0% 9
AIRTEL 0 0% 2 29% 5 71% 0 0% 0 0% 7
GRAMEENPHONE 0 0% 2 14% 10 71% 2 14% 0 0% 14
ROBI 0 0% 3 33% 6 67% 0 0% 0 0% 9
AIRTEL 0 0% 2 29% 5 71% 0 0% 0 0% 7
Availability of rechargepoints

33
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
1 2 3 4 5
GRAMEENPHONE
ROBI
AIRTEL
Analysis: From the above chart and table we can see that 2% GP users are dissatisfied with
the FnF facility and 70% remains neutral about it. Here, Robi and AT have the higher
satisfied customers. So, Robi and AT are the main competitors of GP in terms of FnF facility.
Q No. 16: I am satisfiedwith the quality and facility of Internet & GPRS
Connection:3G is new initiative in Bangladesh. So, this question will help us to know the
satisfactory level of the customers with the 3G internet data service. It will also come up with
a result that which operator provides the best 3G internet facility among all in Bangladesh.
Analysis: As 3G is a new issue nowadays, everyone is not aware of it and using it wisely.
From the chart we can see that GP, BL and other operators are in the Neutral level where
most of the GP and Robi users are in the highly satisfactory level. Here, GP is the leader.
GRAMEENPHONE 2 14% 6 43% 6 43% 0 0% 0 0% 14
ROBI 1 11% 4 44% 4 44% 0 0% 0 0% 9
AIRTEL 0 0% 2 29% 5 71% 0 0% 0 0% 7
F&F Facilities

34
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
1 2 3 4 5
GRAMEENPHONE
ROBI
AIRTEL
Q No. 16: The TVCs are actually making a difference for staying with the
operator: For better promotion and creating attention to the customers all the operators are
using huge TVC promotional activities. Sometimes these activities influence the customers
most to use that operator’s connection. So to identify which operator is actually making any
difference for staying with or having the connection, this question was included to the survey.
Analysis: GP’s TVCs are making the difference to the customers for staying and they are
satisfied with them that is 36%.Robi is also making very good awareness through TVCs
which is 44% satisfied. They both have high neutral customers GP 64% and Robi 56%. But ii
is Airtle is making very little difference through TVCs which is only 14% ‘highly
dissatisfactory.’ 43% of their customers are dissatisfied and 43% neutral.
GRAMEENPHONE 0 0% 5 36% 9 64% 0 0% 0 0% 14
ROBI 0 0% 4 44% 5 56% 0 0% 0 0% 9
AIRTEL 0 0% 0 0% 3 43% 3 43% 1 14% 7
Internet & GPRS Facilities

35
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
1 2 3 4 5
GRAMEENPHONE
ROBI
AIRTEL
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
1 2 3 4 5
GRAMEENPHONE
ROBI
AIRTEL
Q No. 18: The customer care department (Call Center) is helpful and
informative: Call center is helpful for numerous fruitful information that a customer can
face while using the operators connection. To identify which operator’s customer care
department is the most helpful according to the customers, this question was included.
GRAMEENPHONE 1 7% 2 14% 9 64% 1 7% 1 7% 14
ROBI 0 0% 2 22% 6 67% 1 11% 0 0% 9
AIRTEL 0 0% 1 14% 5 71% 1 14% 0 0% 7
The TVCs are actually making a difference for staying with the operator
Customer care facilities

36
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
1 2
GRAMEENPHONE
ROBI
AIRTEL
Analysis: From the chart and table we can see that GP has the highly satisfied customers
for customer care (call center) service which is 7%and only 14% are satisfied. So, GP is the
main competitor of Robi and Airtle.
Note: Scaling Notations
1= YES
2= NO
Q No. 19: I want to switch to other operator:This question was added to know
what percentage of customer wants to switch to other operator from their existing one. In
addition, we also wanted to know that to which operator they want to switch as well as the
reason behind switching decision.
Analysis: From the above table we can see that 79% of GP users, 57% of AT users and
67% of Robi users don’t want to switch their existing connection. So, here Airtle is in the 3rd
position. Again, total 33% of Robi, 21% of GP users and total 43% of AT users want to
switch from their existing connection. So, here Airtle is in an alarming position from which
they can lose customers or have churn out intentions.
Brands 1 RF 2 RF User
GRAMEENPHONE 3 21% 11 79% 14
ROBI 3 33% 6 67% 9
AIRTEL 3 43% 4 57% 7
I want to switch to other operator

37
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
1 2
GRAMEENPHONE
ROBI
AIRTEL
Q No. 20: I am satisfiedwith my mobile operator:This question was included to
inquire about the customers’ satisfaction towards the operator. It will also result about their
satisfaction with the operator they use. The higher they rate the higher their satisfaction and
loyalty level.
Analysis: From the above table we can see that 79% of GP users, 57% of AT users and
67% of Robi users are satisfied with their existing connection. So, here Airtle is in the 3rd
position. Again, total 33% of Robi, 21% of GP users and total 43% of AT users are not
satisfied with their existing connection. So, here Airtle is in an alarming position from which
they can lose customers or have churn out intentions.
Brands 1 RF 2 RF User
GRAMEENPHONE 11 79% 3 21% 14
ROBI 6 67% 3 33% 9
AIRTEL 4 57% 3 43% 7
I am satisfied with my mobile operator

38
4.1 Conclusion:
Grameenphone is the largest mobile phone operator in the country undoubtedly. The network
of this phone never makes people unhappy. Whenever and wherever we go, we can easily get
the network of this SIM. But the problem is that, the call rate is really very expensive and for
this reason, many people especially students or poor people cannot use this sim. Grameen
phone is mostly used by businessman or job holders. And it is the most strong
telecommunication company in our country. Robi, is another very popular telecommunication
company in our country. It is used by all classes’ people in our country. Network connection
is also very strong but not more than GP. But the problem occurs sometimes in internet
settings. People sometimes really find complex by using internet package but day by day
internet connection become so improved that now a days Rabi is also represents itself as one
of the best telecommunication company in our country. Airtel is the most popular
telecommunication company in our country among the young generation. Most of the
students are taking Airtel as their sim card because the call rate is so cheap so young
generation always feel attract to use Airtel. Airtel also gives many attractive offers so that
people always choose Airtel without any botheration. But the main problem is, Airtel
provides vary bad network so that sometime even most of the time people getting tired and
irritated. So we can see that all the telecommunication company in our country have
advantages as well as disadvantages. People choose their sim card according their needs and
abilities. Telecommunication companies in our country are now very demandable and
competition is also getting high day by day.

39
4.2 Recommendation:
To the Grameenphone authority:
Network Availability: Sometimes poor network is the vital problem for the subscribers due
to some planned works. So it should be solved technically to ensure the users to enjoy full
fledge of networks. If GP is having lack of technical equipment or technical hands they
should immediately fulfilled the desired necessity.
Charge: Grameenphone provides less facility for the subscribers. It should charge the users
the least amount as its intention should be in long run, economies of scale.
Hotline: GP should train its customer relation people well enough to solve the problems
customers on the hotline. Call waiting time should be minimized. Also number of customer
relation employees should be increased in relation to increase in sales.
Availability of Connection: Sometimes users’ dissatisfaction arises due to unavailability of
connection facility, because no one usually can get connected at once while there is some
planned work or technical up gradation. This problem should be immediately solved to
increase customer satisfaction.
Others:
- Other problems like unavailability of Pre-Paid cards should be resolved.
- GP can add disaster SMS for the customer.
- The company should efficient courier services to reach the bill to the right customer as soon
as possible.
- Number of BTS station needs to increase to increase the capacity.
- Credit Control system should be improved
To the Robi authority:
Robi could work more on making the salary and benefits they provide to make them more
attracting as employees find this factor very important to boost their satisfaction level. Robi
could work more on their premises to protect against natural calamities, so that employees
feel safe as it is a very essential in employee satisfaction

40
Robi could introduce Casual leave as many employees refered to do so. They could increase
paternity leave. Robi could also increase compassionate leave, as 3 days are not enough for
someone to recover from shock of death of close people.The company could conduct salary
review more oftenn as some employees are not satisfied with the salary review. This will help
the company satisfy their employees.Other than providing benefits and facilities more often,
that rise the cost of the company, Robi could work more on conducting some Employee
Involvement Programs to sustain their employees. Getting employees' ideas and getting their
involvement is critical in rapidly changing world. If the company is going to be competitive,
it's mandatory to involve not just hands, but the ideas from everyone in your organization.
The company can also provide recognition to their employees through a lot of activities at
minimum cost. A recognition program does not have to be expensive. The structure of a
recognition program is limited only by your imagination. An effective program has the
following components:
• Fairness
• High visibility and consistency.
To the Airtel authority:
To be fair, a program must not favor one employee over another, merely because of his or her
position within the organization, or his relationship with his supervisor. There must be an
effective means of identifying employees who should be recognized. In many programs, there
is an easy means by which employees can nominate others for recognition. As a supplement
to a nomination program, supervisors can keep lists of notable employee achievements.
According to my opinion there is a slight discrimination among departments at Robi Axiata
Limited. This may be a critical point for the organization. Therefore, Robi could work to
diminish the sense of discrimination among employees, to keep them satisfied.
After analyzing all probable prospect of Airtel network campaigns I made some
recommendations for them. Hope that if they put some consideration on these
recommendations it will be more effective for them to promote their products among the
youth of Bangladesh.
• The campaigns could be more successful for the company if Values Added Service was
promoted through the network campaigns.
• Not any of their advertisement talked in details about the packages they offered for the
customers.
• Less promotional activity in the urban area as they did maximum promotional campaigns in
rural area. They needed to do some rally promotional activity in urban areas.

41
• As they started giving advertisement before the Ramadan month so it was effective for them
but they needed to continue their campaigns even after the Ramadan also.
• They could keep renowned famous person in the arrangement of artist in this campaign. The
youngster was not that much familiar face in TV.
• Airtel use new strategies of branding below the line must not be the only way of escalating
their visibility. Above the line efforts are equally required to be taken.
At the same time they provide huge bonus talk time or SMS to the customers usable for short
time period. Before they notice they bonus they validity almost expired as a result customers
became dissatisfied. So they need to increase the time period of this usable bonus talk time or
SMS.
• Airtel not supposed to be throwing unnecessary SMS to the subscribers. It makes the
consumers bothered while a SMS is received during working hours. SMS can be sent on
weekend, holidays, during festivals time or in off peak hour so that it does not make the
customers disappointed.

42
APPENDED PARTS
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43
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44
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