Badrul Ahsan :The state-owned Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd (BTCL) has started replacing its existing landphones in Dhaka city with modern ones, sources said.The reform, according to BTCL officials, will help regain its lost glory and would help boost up its revenue earning.The replacement of around 0.11 million such phones in the first phase will ensure triple play (voice, video and data) telecommunication services of international standard to its clients.The state-run telecom operator has also a plan to provide 95,000 new lines under the same project.According to the project profile, the modern system will also facilitate high-speed data services (up to 20 mbps) to the users. Besides, the Tk 2.48 billion project has also been designed to introduce different types of value added services (VAS) like IPTV, video on demand (VoD) and online gaming by which the company officials believe that the revenue earnings will be boosted up significantly.”We have replaced many of our old phone lines across the Dhaka city, with ensuring a hassle-free service to the users,” Project Director (PD) Swapon Kumar Saha told the New Nation Wednesday.”Also, the new connections will ensure speedy data services to the users along with introducing different types of value added services by the BTCL,” he added.According to the PD, introduction of the new connections will minimise uses of copper cable and will be established through fiber optic cable. “After implementation of the new project, speed and services of the new numbers will increase many folds.””We have a plan to introduce different types of value added services like IPTV, Video on demand (VoD), online gaming etc in phase to revamp the company’s revenue earnings,” Swapon Kumar informed.”We hope, the modern facility-rich phones will raise the BTCL’s revenue income significantly,” he said.But, despite being the oldest telecom operator in the country and having 50 years of experience in various services such as landline, internet, backhaul and international gateway or call handling, customers were losing interest in the BTCL after emergence of private telecom operators for mobile, WiMax and international gateways or transmission services.Data showed that the state-run land phone operator has lost more than 25,000 subscribers in the past two years, owing to its lack of post-sales service.Although the BTCL can now provide 1.37 million landline connections, around 40 per cent of its total capacity remains unutilised till date, the data showed.The BTCL data showed that the number of land line users in Dhaka city came down to around 0.85 million till June 2015 which was 0.92 million in 2009.The data also showed that the use of landline phone declined to 49 per cent in June 2015 from 69 per cent in 2009.”Poor service quality, inefficient management and lethargic attitude of the officials in the BTCL are compelling users to scrap their land phone connections,” a telecom expert working for a private operator told the New Nation preferring anonymity.”If the BTCL can continue providing services as committed to the new clients, then it will revolutionise the company’s revenue earning in the years to come, otherwise the whole efforts will again go in vain,” he said.
