Warid Telecom (Bangladesh)
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| independent product brand of Robi | |
| Industry | Telecommunication |
| Fate | merged into Robi |
| Predecessor | Airtel Bangladesh Limited; Warid Telecom Bangladesh |
| Founded | November 16, 2016 (merger completion date) |
| Headquarters | Robi Corporate Office, 53, Gulshan South Avenue, Gulshan, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh |
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Key people
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Mr. Mahtab Uddin Ahmed (CEO) |
| Services | Telecom, 2G, EDGE, 3G, HSPA+ |
| Parent | Axiata (68.7%), Bharti Airtel (25%), NTT Docomo (6.3%) |
| Website | bd.airtel.com |
airtel (Bengali: এয়ারটেল), in Bangladesh, is currently an independent product brand of Robi Axiata, since Robi Axiata Limited is the Licensee of 'airtel' Brand in Bangladesh. The brand came under the control of Robi Axiata after Airtel Bangladesh Limited was successfully merged into Robi Axiata Limited on 16 November 2016.
Robi Axiata Limited is a joint venture between Axiata Group of Malaysia, Bharti Airtel of India and NTT Docomo Inc. of Japan. Axiata holds 68.7% controlling stake in the entity, Bharti holds 25% while the remaining 6.3% is held by NTT Docomo of Japan. It is the second largest mobile phone operator of Bangladesh as of November 2016. The company provides nationwide network coverage.
The airtel brand in Bangladesh was formerly owned by Airtel Bangladesh Ltd., previously known as Warid Telecom which was a GSM and 3G based mobile operator. Warid was the sixth mobile operator to enter the Bangladesh market and originally launched commercial operations under the brand name 'Warid' on May 10, 2007. In 2010, Bharti Airtel bought out majority share of the company.
In 2010, Warid Telecom sold a majority 70% stake in the company to India's Bharti Airtel Limited for US$ 100,000. Bharti's proposal also included an initial $300-million investment in Warid for creating new shares in the company. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission approved the deal on Jan 4, 2010. Bharti Airtel Limited took management control of the company and its board, and re-branded the company's services under its own 'airtel' brand from December 20, 2010.
In March, 2013, Warid Telecom sold its rest 30% share to Bharti Airtel's Singapore-based concern Bharti Airtel Holdings Pte Limited for US$ 85 million.
On September 8, 2013, Airtel Bangladesh received 5 MHz of 3G spectrum at US$ 1.25 million.
On January 28, 2016, it was officially announced that Robi and Airtel Bangladesh will merge their operations in Bangladesh. The combined entity will be called Robi, to serve about 32 million subscribers. Axiata Group will own 68.7% share, while Bharti Group will own 25%. The remaining shares will be owned by NTT DoCoMo.
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