The telecom regulator yesterday handed over 72 new gateway licences to different firms in three categories. The government has decided to give 82 such licences, while 78 companies have so far deposited licence fees. Zia Ahmed, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, said he
Business
Bangladesh must ready itself for Rio Earth Summit
Govt should make an outline, say analysts at CPD dialogue Bangladesh must prepare for negotiations at the upcoming Rio Earth Summit that will focus on economic, social and environmental sustainability, analysts said yesterday. The government needs to outline what it may get from the negotiation process, and should negotiate accordingly, they said. For the least developed ... Read more
BB to close counters for selling new notes, exchanging torn ones
The Bangladesh Bank has decided not to sell new notes of currencies or exchange old and torn notes from its counters from May 2. The central bank in a statement on Tuesday said people would be able to buy new notes and exchange their torn currency notes and mutilated coins for new ones at over ... Read more
New logistics company gets off the ground next week
A new logistics service provider — Nippon Express Bangladesh Ltd — will start operations in the country next week. The company, a joint venture initiative of a Japan-based logistic giant Nippon Express Co and a Bangladeshi company Golden Harvest logistic Ltd, will come into operation on April 17. The Bangladesh unit of Nippon aims to accomplish ... Read more
Renewable energy platform launched
The association signs up 49 members A platform for renewable energy products businesses, Bangladesh Solar and Renewable Energy Association (BSREA), was launched in Dhaka yesterday. Tawfiq-E-Elahi Chowdhury, energy adviser to the prime minister, inaugurated the association at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in Dhaka. BSREA’s aim is to promote renewable energy in Bangladesh and
Into the heart of MLM
Multi-level marketing or MLM is a constant source of debate. MLM companies have their fanatical devotees and often appear to behave in an aggressive manner. Some of them reach dizzying heights, often to fall. The issue came to the surface again, after Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd, a unit of Destiny Ltd, hit the media ... Read more
Eurozone crisis may hit Bangladesh exports: WTO
Pascal Lamy says poor countries may be short on trade finance An economic slowdown in Europe may affect Bangladesh as it is highly dependent on exports to the Eurozone, said World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General Pascal Lamy yesterday. “Macroeconomic development is not looking very good, especially for countries like Bangladesh, whose two-thirds of exports ... Read more
BTRC recommends five licences for 3G service
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission on Wednesday sent to the telecommunication ministry the draft guideline for awarding five licences for 3G mobile service. Of the five licences, the state-run Teletalk would get one while four other licences would be awarded to four private mobile phone operators, including any new operator, through
Online stores get more hits
Online shopping is becoming popular in Bangladesh, encouraging new entrants to open e-portals for consumer goods and household essentials. In the past one year, nearly a dozen online shopping portals or e-trading platforms launched operations, offering products and services from vegetables, clothes, computer accessories
Higher duties thwart P&G’s expansion
Procter & Gamble high official speaks about the constraints his company faces in Bangladesh Procter & Gamble (P&G) plans to introduce more of its products to Bangladesh to tap the market potential, as the steady economic growth of the country is fuelling demand for consumer goods. But higher import duty for personal care goods acts ... Read more
Tourism: next job creator
Sector is expected to generate 13.77 lakh jobs this year: report The tourism and hospitality sector may grow into one of the largest employers in Bangladesh, if it is backed by policy support, investment and skills development, analysts said Saturday. There is huge demand for skilled human resources in the largely untapped tourism and hospitality ... Read more
Airtel introduces Talk2me
Bharti Airtel has recently launched a new value-added service — Talk2Me — for its Bangladeshi customers to interact with favourite celebrities. With the service, Airtel users can now interact with Indian actress Vidya Balan, Bangladeshi cricketers Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Ashraful in a session to be held at 9pm on
BASIS members join CeBIT
BASIS (Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services) in collaboration with Export Promotion Bureau participated at the CeBIT 2012, the digital industry’s biggest international event in the world, says a press release. CeBIT 2012 was held at Hannover, Germany from March 6 -10. Five Bangladeshi ICT companies participated as exhibitor of Bangladesh stand and two
Bangladesh emerging as hotspot for suit making
Bangladesh is turning into a lucrative destination for manufacturing high-end formal suits as foreign investment proposals are coming to the sub-sector, with China losing its competitiveness, industry insiders said. The foreign brands are either sourcing the suits, formal jackets and trousers for men and women or establishing joint ventures in Bangladesh to tailor the
Budget carrier starts flights to Singapore
Singapore’s low cost carrier Tiger Airways yesterday began flights from Dhaka. The airline will connect with Singapore by operating four flights a week, with plans to carry business and leisure travellers by offering low fares, airline officials said in a programme. “Tiger Airways’ new flight is timely as there is an increasing demand for direct ... Read more
Marketing summit ends with Dhaka Declaration
The World Marketing Summit (WMS) yesterday adopted a ten-point declaration with focus on a year-long research into health, education, environment and food security. The Dhaka Declaration was adopted at the closing session of the three-day summit in Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in
BASIS honours IT innovators
A platform for software and ICT developers, BASIS, yesterday awarded 31 companies, professionals and students for their innovations and extraordinary performances in their respective fields. Of the awards, 26 were given on the basis of competition and five were awarded in recognition of the winners’ contribution to software development and the ICT
Aamra Technologies’ IPO approved
The Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday approved the initial public offering prospectus of Aamra Technologies Ltd (ATL) to raise Tk 51.77 crore from the public. The approval came at a meeting of the stockmarket regulator with SEC Chairman M Khairul Hossain in the chair. Using the fixed price method, ATL will float 2.15 crore ordinary ... Read more
Telcos seek more time to pay licence renewal fees
Four mobile operators will not pay outstanding fees for their licence renewal before they receive the certified copies of the High Court’s verdict on the Grameenphone versus BTRC case. Officials of Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi and Citycell yesterday met Zia Ahmed, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, and expressed
InterContinental signs Ruposhi Bangla deal
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), a leading global hotel chain, yesterday signed an agreement to take over the operations and management of Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in Dhaka. Under the deal, the hotel will undergo extensive renovations in the next two years. It will then be handed over to IHG for a period of 30