Airtel Bangladesh
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunication |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Headquarters |  House 34, Road 19/A, Banani, Dhaka 1213, Bangladesh |
Key people |  Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Chairman  Mr. Muneer Farooqui, CEO |
| Products | Telephony, EDGE, GPRS, GSM |
| Website | www.waridtel.com.bd |
Warid Telecom International Ltd. is a GSM-based cellular operator in Bangladesh. Warid is the sixth mobile phone carrier to enter the Bangladesh market. It is wholly owned subsidiary of Warid Telecom International LLC which is the part of an Abu Dhabi based consortium led by His Highness Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, a Member of the Royal Family of Abu Dhabi, and the Honorable Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the United Arab Emirates.
Warid officially launched their commercial services in Bangladesh on the May 10, 2007 with a GSM Mobile Cellular network covering 64 districts of the country and encompassing 70% of the mobile phone using population- the single largest launch the country has ever seen.
On July 19, 2007 Warid Telecom announced in major dailies of having achieved one million subscribers in the first of 70 days of operation.
As of July, 2008 Warid has secured 3.48 million subscribers and is ranked fourth among the six operators [1].
History
In December 2005, Warid Telecom International LLC paid $50 million dollars(US) to obtain a GSM license from the BTRC and became the sixth mobile phone operator in Bangladesh.
In a press conference on August 17, 2006, Warid announced that his network would be activated two months ahead of schedule, in October, 2006. Again in October, 2006 Warid Telecom put off the launch of its cellphone services in Bangladesh until April, 2007 after its major supplier Nokia walked out on an agreement over a payment dispute.[2]
Warid had a soft launch at the end of January 2007. It gave away complimentary subscriptions among a selected group of individuals, who's job was to make 'test calls' and the operator adjusted its network's quality based on their comments.
The official website of the company www.waridtel.com.bd, was launched on the April 30, 2007.
On the April 14, 2007 (Pohela Boishakhi day) Warid Bangladesh kicked off its advertisement campaign titled "Salam Bangladesh Salam". A few days later on the April 29, they launched their website.
On May 9, 2007, Warid in an advertisement in some daily newspaper stated that it would be launching publicly on May 10, 2007. However, no call rate nor any package details were revealed. The advertisement included an announcement for the people interested to buy Warid connections to bring the documents like ID Card, etc, to the designated franchise and customer care centres.
On October 1, 2007, Warid Telecom has expanded its network to five more districts raising total number of districts under Warid coverage to 56, says a press release. Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Rajbari and Narail towns are now under Warid network.
On November 10, 2007, 61 districts under Warid network coverage.
NGN (Next Generation) Network
The network that has been deployed in Bangladesh by Warid is based on the NGN or Next-Generation Technology- a future-proof architectural system which ensures optimum utilization of frequency and enhances speed and quality of both voice and data services.
Network Technology
| Network | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|
| GSM1800 | Live/Active | May, 2007 |
Numbering Scheme
Warid Bangladesh uses the following numbering scheme:
+880 16 N1N2N3N4N5N6N7N8
Where, 880 is the ISD code for Bangladesh and is needed only in case of dialling from outside Bangladesh.
16 is the prefix for Warid Bangladesh as allocated by the government of Bangladesh. Omitting +880 will require to use 0 in place of it instead to represent local call, hence 016 is the general prefix.
N1N2N3N4N5N6N7N8 is the subscriber number.
Products Offered
Warid provides both post-paid and pre-paid connection plans. The post-paid plan is branded and marketed across the country under the name Zahi Post-paid, which means leader or royalty. The pre-paid segment is branded and marketed as Zem Pre-Paid.
The Zem Prepaid category is divided into four segments:
- Zem (startup)
- Zem 1 Sec
- Zem 24 hrs
- Zem FnF
The Zahi Postpaid category is divided into three segments:
- Zahi Classic
- Zahi Supreme
- Zahi Royal
Zahi-Post-paid and Zem Pre-paid user enjoy various value added services(VAS), such as SMS, MMS, GPRS, 64K SIM, Dual SIM product, Corporate packages for product advertising via SMS, and a host of other features.
However International Roaming is available only to Zahi (post-paid) users.
Customer Care Centers and Franchises
Warid has ten customer care centers around the country located at key locations. These centers are directly run by Warid itself.
Warid has another 120 franchises spread across Bangladesh, the largest chain of retail outlets in the country, which is further backed up by a chain of sub-franchises, affinity partners & distributors.
SIM Cards, Scratch Cards and sometimes mobile sets are sold at these outlets. Bill collection for post paid users and Zem top up for pre-paid users can also be availed at the franchises. These franchises directly appoint dealers and sub-dealers in their designated areas.