The story of democratising digital services in Bangladesh

There was a time when people had to spend seven to eight taka per minute while speaking to their near and dear ones over the phone.

That time was defined by a monopolistic market and expensive telecommunication services (mostly limited to voice calls only). At that time, people living in rural backwaters even had to walk miles to hear 'hello' from the other side of the phone because only a few agents had a mobile phone. Fast forward several years; today, individuals can communicate with their loved ones online. Moreover, through a single application, people can effortlessly manage tasks such as bill payments, medical consultations, etc. This is how telecom services in Bangladesh have transformed over the years, bringing digital services to customers' fingertips.

The journey, however, from a talk-time-focused approach to providing a holistic digital service for customers was not easy. Before 2004, the market was primarily dominated by a single player, and the customers had to bear the brunt. Things started to look up with the arrival of Banglalink in the Bangladesh market in February 2005. This telecom operator's arrival turned out to be a real blessing for the subscribers as their entry catalysed fierce competition in the market, bringing down the call rate within two taka per minute, which was earlier in the range of five to eight taka per minute in 2005, and taka16 per minute in 2001. With customer-centricity as one of its core values, the telecom operator played an instrumental role in democratising voice call services in its early days.

Then, things started unfolding rapidly – other operators also entered the Bangladeshi market with a significant amount of foreign direct investment (FDI). With substantial investments in the country's telecommunications sector, operators ploughed back their revenue into technological innovations, paving the way for a wide range of digital services. With time, these innovations also started reaching Bangladesh, riding on the heavy infrastructural development and investment plans carried out by the telecom operators.

With the introduction of mobile internet in the country back in 2005. There was a considerable internet boom. Especially after 3G was introduced in 2013, it changed the whole scenario, bringing about massive changes in customer behaviour and expediting the internet adoption rate among a cross-section of people. With the advent of the internet, dominant players in the telco sector focused on improving their digital portfolio to offer better digital services, considering international trends.  

Inspired by its "Digital For All" vision, Banglalink, a customer-centric digital operator, left no stone unturned to create a whole digital ecosystem for providing seamless, up-to-date, innovative services to the nation's people.

From offering economical talk time to ensuring internet services for all through relentless network expansion, Banglalink has been at the forefront of bridging the digital divide. Even when telecom operators began rolling out digital services for customers, Banglalink strained every nerve, empowered homegrown talents, and facilitated them with technological amenities to bring in an innovative portfolio of digital services and make them accessible to people from all walks of life. The rest of the story is about enablement and empowerment.

Banglalink introduced the MyBL SuperApp and Toffee to enable access to information and entertainment. While Toffee, a premier digital entertainment platform, allows exposure to a wide range of TV shows, live sports and live TV channels, MyBL SuperApp has brought six essential digital services (6Cs) to everyone's doorsteps. Toffee also enables content creators to monetise their channel through video-sharing features. Currently, Toffee boasts an active monthly user base of almost seven million. It reports more than 40 million monthly views as this platform has become the go-to option for customers aged between 18-34 years. Be it sports or linear TV, Toffee has it all. Moreover, Toffee is also the first homegrown telco product to secure exclusive digital streaming rights of all ICC World Cup events and the only OTT that has successfully reinstated TV channels by securing direct feeds from four international broadcasters - Sony, B4U, Discovery, and Zee.

Meanwhile, the MyBL SuperApp has revolutionised digital convenience, emerging as a one-stop digital solution for all user groups' diverse needs (Connect, Content, Care, Commerce, Courses, and Community). The app serves over eight million monthly active users and facilitates daily engagement for thousands of users across various courses. Similarly, MyBL's Care section assists more than a million users monthly through doctors' consultations and emergency medical services whenever they need them. Banglalink has also recently introduced RYZE, an innovative AI-powered digital lifestyle app, with a view to empowering the youth and providing them a dynamic digital experience.

These digital services are enhancing the quality of people's daily lives. Golam Kibria, Chief Digital Officer of Banglalink, said, "Since the beginning of our journey, Banglalink has been working to make mobile telephony accessible to all. Our focus is to make digital services accessible to the masses, which will help bridge the digital divide and add value to our customers' everyday lives. In line with our Digital for All vision, we are committed to enabling digital services while simplifying AI for present users and introducing future-fit solutions for the digital-first generation of Bangladesh."

Banglalink is truly living up to its vision. With myriad digital services at customers' fingertips, this innovative digital operator is realizing the true meaning of the phrase—where there is an attempt at change, there is Banglalink.