Veon subsidiary Banglalink has signed a tower sharing agreement with BTCL (Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited).
The deal will afford Banglalink access BTCL’s tower infrastructure, allowing the operator to expand its 4G network and thereby enhance its quality of service. The agreement is expected to improve the energy efficiency of Banglalink’s operations and make more effective use of Bangladesh’s national resources.
“We always welcome network sharing opportunities to serve our customers better and ensure proper utilization of resources and infrastructures”, said Erik Aas, Chief Executive Officer, Banglalink. “In the last year, we have added more than 3300 4G base stations to our network; many of these are based on shared infrastructure. We will continue to expand the network, and our partnership with BTCL will give a fresh impetus to this endeavour.”
BTCL’s Managing Director Dr. Rafiqul Matin noted that the firms already have a fibre-sharing agreement in place, and said: “As a country, we have reached an impasse where infrastructure sharing can be an effective way to tackle national and global challenges. This initiative is an example of how two organizations can benefit from partnering.”
Kaan Terzioglu, CEO of VEON Group, said: “VEON’s future centers around an asset-light business model that enables us to focus on providing our customers high-quality connectivity and world-class digital services. By reducing our direct ownership of capex-intensive tower infrastructure, we can focus on these high-growth digital services, delivering greater value to our shareholders and our customers. The tower sharing agreement reached with BTCL represents another step towards implementing this strategy and follows similar deals in other operating countries.”