3%
2%
2%
1%
1%
0%
Citycell is the only telecom operator to use CDMA platform in Bangladesh, though it
has applied for the license for GSM to BTCL, the regulatory body of the country.
Citycell is not the only example in the world to switch to the most popular platform.
Bell and Tellus in Canada are already in this process of transformation. Between the
competition between GSM and CDMA, GSM is enjoying 82% market share globally.
So was it a mistake for Citycell to go for the less popular platform? Citycell emerged
in the sector in 1993, when CDMA was the hot technology in the field. Though CDMA
is a more advanced technology than GSM, but not the popular one. CDMA needs a
unique code to decipher the data sent over the network. This requirement, though
makes the process secure and efficient, steals the opportunity of the users to switch
handsets, because handsets have to be permitted by the service provider. This
creates the issue of handset compatibility, which is the main reason CDMA is
lagging behind in popularity in Bangladesh like other countries.
The users dont really care about the platform, CDMA or GSM; they want flexibility.
Unlike 90s people now choose handsets at first, then go for the network choice
decision. Sometimes they switch between providers. All of these scenarios do not
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Citycells ZoomTM Ultra has allowed the provider to still exist in the competition in
regards of internet data comparing to voice data. The parenting company Pacific
Bangladesh Telecom limited has a nationwide transmission backhaul network with
fiber optic and Microwave backbone. They could use these resources to bolster their
internet data connection, but they probably did not use the full potential of the
resources.
After the advent of social networks, marketing has reached a new level. At minimal
cost, subscribers can be reached with the advertisements and promotions. To
illustrate Citycells immense deficiency in marketing a comparison is given below:
Operator
Subscribers as per
BTCL website in June,
2016 (in millions)
Ratio=
likes/Subscribers
Grameen
Phone
Banglalink
Robi
Airtel
Teletalk
Citycell
56.909
7,801,507
0.14
31.941
27.442
9.892
4.49
0.702
7,276,471
7,479,244
5,870,980
1,044,400
0,113,245
0.23
0.27
0.6
0.22
0.16
Citycell is still using EV-DO RevA technology, whereas RevC is the newest in this
field. EV-DO cannot provide voice and data at a time. So while making a call,
internet data cannot be used. This is a major drawback, which is solved in SVDO
system. CItycell is far from accepting this technology.
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** Citycell was fined taka 150 cr in 2008 for illegal VoIP involvement
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