Dubai: Warid, a telecom asset of UAE-based Abu Dhabi Group, has acquired 2.5 million subscribers within two years of operation. It has also invested $600 million so far, a top company official said.
The company, which has created 4,000 new jobs, has also returned Dh3.5 billion in taxes to the Bangladesh exchequer, Warid Telecom's chief executive Muneer Farooqui said in a statement.
Warid last week unveiled a new brand identity designed to visually and conceptually unite product lines and message consistency. The re-launch comes with a redesigned logo and new brand promises reflecting and symbolising the strategic transformation of the company to become a telecom customer- centric organisation in the country.
"Our current base station count stands at around 1,750 which are deployed all over Bangladesh. Our investment made so far is around $600 million. Warid has paid over 6.5 billion taka as direct and indirect taxes to the national exchequer," he said.
Over 4,000 citizens of Bangladesh have been provided job opportunities through direct and indirect channels. Warid is being connected globally through more than 200 international roaming partners in 115 countries.
Bangladesh's new government is committed to transform its operation towards digital platform and pledged to take the country on the right side of the digital divide by 2021.
The telecom minister praised Warid for spreading its network across 64 districts within its first year of operation.
"This kind of steps of Warid will accelerate the process of implementing a 'Digital Bangladesh' spearheaded by Prime Minister Shaikh Hasina," Rajiuddin Ahmad Raju, Bangladesh's Posts and Telecommunications Minister, said in a statement.
Warid officials have realligned their identity to support the government's vision.
"I would reiterate the resolve of Warid in achieving the government vision of 'Digital Bangladesh' by 2021. We would also expect the present government to take such steps that facilitate the mobile operators in not only achieving their business goals but also playing their role in the social and economic uplift of the country," Farooqui said.
Farooqui said the new logo aligns Warid's Bangladesh operation with the rest of the Abu Dhabi Group's telecom concerns around the globe.
"The new brand and logo being the symbol of recognition will portray a uniform brand image and identity of Warid Group. This change will bring freshness and newness in Warid Brand," he said.
