Citycell is the pioneer of mobile phones in Bangladesh. They were the very first to introduce the tiny device called the mobile phone in Bangladesh. Although Bangladesh took its initial steps towards mobile phone use with Citycell leading the way, at that time, the company didn’t take significant initiatives to improve the telecommunications infrastructure. However, albeit slowly, the company eventually started advancing towards the vast realm of online services. As a first step, in 2005, they introduced email services. At that time, there was an enthusiastic response from corporate clients. Soon after, they are planning to launch internet services as well. It is reported that the charge per KB might be 0.025 Taka + VAT and both postpaid and prepaid customers will be able to avail this internet service.
Interview with Citycell’s Head of Marketing, Intekhab Mahmud:
What technology is Citycell using to provide internet services?
– Since Citycell offers CDMA services, they are using 1x EV-DO. This is a very popular technology worldwide in the CDMA segment. With this, you can get 120 kbps per second.
When will internet service be available on your mobile phones?
– Very soon. Currently, a selected group of corporate customers are enjoying this service. For the whole country, it may take another one to two months to roll out the internet service.
With the advancement of technology, could digital disparity become more pronounced?
– Absolutely not. As technology spreads, its prices are also coming down accordingly. For example, the call rate that used to be 15 Taka per minute is now only 3 Taka. It’s true that the general public can’t immediately enjoy the initial excitement in the very beginning; but historically, some people have always gotten access earlier and others later—that’s just how it is!
Enabling internet on CDMA handsets may require setup. Customers could naturally face difficulties with this. Do you have any measures for that?
– Our customer service will assist in this regard. If you visit any customer service center, the staff there will help you with the EV-DO setup, and of course, this is a free service.
Is there a possibility that Citycell will expand its business into the ISP sector in the future?
– It’s difficult to say for sure at this moment, but it’s certainly something we are considering.
সিটিসেল মোবাইল ও বাংলাদেশে তার ক্রমোবিকাশ সম্পকে একটি সংক্ষিপ্ত বিবরণ এটি। সুন্দর হয়েছে।