The state-owned Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) has announced plans to integrate metro rail and other utility payment services into its wallet, “Alaap Pay.” The company aims to enhance the app with new features, enabling customers to access a variety of utility payment services through a single platform.
Amid the growing use of Over-the-Top (OTT) applications for voice, messaging, and other services, BTCL is set to revamp its “Alaap” app to attract more users domestically and internationally by 2025. To achieve this, the company is working on adding new features such as SMS, hosted IP telephony, voice broadcast, bulk SMS, and cloud storage. Additionally, BTCL plans to establish a dedicated customer care center for the “Alaap” calling app.
BTCL Managing Director Md. Anwar Hossain revealed that there are future plans to enable payments for services such as metro rail, flyovers, and bridges through the Alap wallet. The wallet will also facilitate the payment of utility bills for electricity and water. He shared this information with the state news agency, BSS.
BTCL officials involved in the initiative stated that they are in discussions with Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) to explore how these services can be integrated into the platform.
Initially, BTCL introduced the “Alaap Pay” wallet to help customers pay their landline phone bills conveniently. Launched in March 2021, the Alaap app is an OTT calling application allowing users to make calls to any mobile or landline phone with a unique customer number.
The app was introduced to reduce reliance on foreign apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and IMO, which dominate the local market with instant messaging, free internet calls, and video calls. Additionally, BTCL aimed to ensure the security of personal data by offering a local alternative.
“Alaap” allows free calls between users connected via the app. However, for off-net calls to other operators, users are charged Tk 0.35 per minute.
To date, BTCL has allocated a total of two million unique numbers for the Alaap app, which is currently facing a shortage of new numbers due to high demand. The app now boasts over 1.9 million registered users, of which 1.649 million have been verified through NID, with 394,000 users awaiting verification.
Currently, “Alaap” has around 1.7 million active users, registering an average of over 700,000 paid calls daily. Additionally, 8,000 to 10,000 free calls are made daily. Since its inception, “Alaap” has generated a total revenue of Tk 320 million, according to officials.
