"Bangladesh Telecommunications Report Q1 2013" Published

Recently published research from Business Monitor International, "Bangladesh Telecommunications Report Q1 2013", is now available at Fast Market Research

by Bill Thompson

(WireNews+Co) - Boston, MA - 04 January 2013

BMI View: Bangladesh's telecommunications market harbours significant growth potential in light of low penetration rates. Mobile operators so far have been able to only offer basic 2G services as the regulator has yet to auction 3G licences; this is now scheduled to take place in early 2013. Assuming that the auction proceeds smoothly, the broadband market will also receive a boost, thereby spurring growth and investment in industries that require reliable high-speed internet connectivity.

Key Data:

-- Our fixed-line, mobile and broadband forecasts have been revised to accommodate more recent data from operators and the regulator and to extend them to 2017. We continue to envisage muted growth. ? Data from the regulator showed that there were more broadband subscribers than previously reported. Broadband remains a strong growth industry in light of mobile solutions. ? ARPUs are expected to continue trending downwards to an average of BDT185 in 2017 (average of the top three operators) due to the prevalence of prepaid subscriptions.

View Full Report Details (http://www.fastmr.com/prod/523855_bangladesh_telecommunications_report_q1_2013.aspx) (http://www.fastmr.com/prod/523855_bangladesh_telecommunications_report_q1_2013.aspx)

Key Trends And Developments

State-owned mobile operator Teletalk launched an experimental 3G service in Dhaka in October 2012, making it the first operator to provide 3G services in the country and paving the way for the auction of six 3G licences in 2013 (one of which will be reserved for Teletalk). One of the new licences is to be reserved for a new entrant while the remaining four licences will be contested by the country's five privately owned mobile operators.

Mobile banking services became more widely available in Q312. Islami Bank Bangladesh teamed up with Robi to launch the Islami Bank mCash service while Airtel expanded its mobile banking service through a partnership with Dutch-Bangla Bank (DBBL). Meanwhile, central bank data showed that mobile banking transactions reached BDT10.08bn in the financial year ended June 30 2012. Fourteen banks are offering services and approximately 780,000 accounts had been opened so far. With new services being launched all the time, it is expected that more than 40mn people will eventually commit to mobile banking. Bangladesh rose to 11th position in BMI's Asia Pacific Telecoms Risk/Reward Ratings with a telecoms rating score of 50.4. A new scoring methodology means that some of the more mature markets in the region saw their overall scores rise appreciably, raising the regional average. Bangladesh now sits below that average.

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