Banglalink set to launch 3G in Oct

Left, Ziad Shatara, CEO of Banglalink, and Jan Edvard Thygesen, deputy CEO of VimpelCom, the majority shareholder of Banglalink, attend a press meet at the Westin Hotel in Dhaka yesterday. Photo:Star

Banglalink will roll out 3G services next month, Ziad Shatara, the company's chief executive, said yesterday.
The country's second largest operator with 28 million users will launch the service in phases, starting with Dhaka. “The entire Dhaka metro will be covered by December.”
Programmes will also be launched this year to introduce 3G in the divisional cities of Chittagong, Khulna and Sylhet, he said. No Banglalink users will need to purchase new SIMs to enjoy the 3G service, he said.
Speaking at a press meet at the Westin Dhaka, Shatara made a test video call using 3G to one of his colleagues at VimpelCom headquarters in Amsterdam, and surfed Youtube and Facebook.
“We have already started building the network.”
The first lot of imported equipment needed to modernise the network reached Bangladesh on Tuesday, he said. “Our technology team installed 3G equipment in more than one site within six hours of receiving the lot.”
It is the perfect time to launch 3G services in Bangladesh, as the prices of 3G enabled handsets are declining now, said Jan Edvard Thygesen, deputy chief executive officer of VimpelCom, the majority shareholder of Banglalink.
Smartphone prices have reduced to almost $50 from around $700 in recent times, which depicts that 3G has a bright future in the country, said Thygesen.
On September 8, Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi and Airtel purchased radio spectrum for 3G services at an auction.