Domestic OTT (over the top) calling service ‘Alaap’ was launched on March 24, 2021. Within four years, 14 lakh 91 thousand users have been registered in this app. In addition, 4 lakh 50 thousand users are connected to the prepaid services for telephone and a high-speed Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) launched by the state-owned telecom operator Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited’s (BTCL). But only 82 thousand users are practically using it. State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak has given utmost importance to popularize these two services at the customer level.
BTCL Managing Director Anwar Hossain gave additional instructions in this regard in a meeting held at the conference room of BTCL head office at Eskaton in the capital on Thursday. DMD of the organization Sanjeev Kumar Ghatak and Ziaul Karim were present in the meeting. In order to bring BTCL and Teletalk back to profitability by reducing losses, Teletalk Managing Director Nurul Mabud Chowdhury and CEO M Rezaul Hasan of Reeve Systems, the maker of online chat apps, were invited to the meeting.
According to sources of the meeting, State Minister Palak has asked the Internet service provider ISPAB to give a proposal to increase the use and service of BTCL GPON in the remote areas of the country. President of the organization Imdadul Haque and Secretary General Nazmul Karim Bhuiyan were present at that time.
At the beginning of the meeting, Zunaid Ahmed Palak raised the issues like, BTCL’s profit/loss account for the last 5 years of operation, progress of various proposed projects, ensuring proper utilization of resources and introduction of 4G at Teletalk sites, determination of company valuation, formulation of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), introduction of 5G technology at important locations. He also gave several instructions.
Regarding the Boithok, State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak said that after looking into the progress of BTCL’s Alaap app, instructions have been given to those concerned to modernize the app and promote it in order to increase the use of Alaap. At the same time, it has been asked to adopt a public-private joint partnership strategy to revive the GPON link. In addition, issues like launching Teletalk’s E-SIM, providing free services, changing the ERP platform, recruitment through open notice for important positions including Managing Director, avoiding all unnecessary expenses, active sharing, battery backup were also discussed in the meeting.
