Robi Axiata Limited- the newly merged company has thanked all its stakeholders at a corporate event held at a city hotel on Saturday, 10th September 2016.
Hon’ble State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Division (PTD), Tarana Halim, MP present at the event as the Chief Guest. Hon’be State Minister for ICT Division Zunayed Ahmed Palak MP was present as the Guest of Honor.
Besides, Additional Secretary, PTD, Shawkat Mostafa; BTRC Vice-Chairman, Brig Gen Ahsan Habib Khan, Retd; Executive Member, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, 
Nabhash Chandra Mandal; Member, National Board of Revenue, Barrister Jahangir Hossain; Member, National Board of Revenue, Md. Rezaul Hasan along with high officials from PTD and BTRC were also present. Eminent journalists, leaders from the business community and respected social figures also attended the programme.
Welcoming the distinguished guests, Robi’s Chief Corporate and People Officer said that “We are here to celebrate your unwavering support in making the first ever merger in the telecom industry a reality. Robi is truly indebted to you for your encouragement and guidance throughout the process. We also thank the media for playing a constructive role throughout the process.”
“We realized early on that people had to be our focus area in making this merger work. Starting from the process of handing over the offer letters to Airtel employees to welcoming them to the merged company, our management team-members had personally engaged with them to address any concern they might have about their future with us. As soon as they joined us, our expert resources had explained each and every one of the Airtel employees about different aspect of our business operation. We are a people centric company where individual talents are celebrated to grow our business. With the joining of employees from Airtel, we are confident that we now have the human resources to create the number 1 network of the country.”
Robi’s Managing Director and CEO, Mahtab Uddin Ahmed said that “We thank Hon’ble State Minister for PTD, Tarana Halim, MP and her esteemed office for making this merger take place. Also, we thank the Chairman, BTRC Dr. Shahjahan Mahmood and his esteemed office for the tireless support extended to us in completing the merger in the most transparent and professional manner. We also thank our friends from the media for helping in the creation of an enabling environment.”
“Robi has all along said that the merger is intended to serve the interest of the customers because only when the operators feel secured of a sustainable future, they will invest in this market to promote innovation which will ultimately benefit the customers and help in realizing the vision of Digital Bangladesh. The merged company needed a befitting ambition to galvanize the positive spirit that exists in our company. Hence, we have embarked on the process of creating the number 1 network of the country while we strive to emerge as the Next Generation Digital Company as an outcome of the process. All we need is your continued support and encouragement.”
State Minister for PTD Tarana Halim MP thanked PTD and BTRC officials for their professionalism in facilitating the first ever merger in the telecom industry which also happens to be the biggest in the country. She also thanked Robi and Airtel management for their cooperation throughout the process. Thanking the media she said that “With your unbiased and constructive reporting you have certainly helped us to find a win-win approach to process this merger application.”
Terming the merger as a significant milestone in realizing the vision of Digital Bangladesh she said that “We recognize the contribution made by the mobile telecom industry in realizing the vision of Digital Bangladesh. Going forward, we would need the operators to invest heavily on their network to ensure quality of service and to pursue new business opportunity accorded by the rapid technological innovation taking place in the market. We are confident that this merger will go a long way to stimulate the market with competition that benefits the customers. I am sure Robi as a merged company will take the lead in further developing the mobile telecom market of the country.”
Commenting on the development of the ecommerce sector, she said that “I strongly believe that ecommerce sector should be open for everyone because we want competition everywhere.”
ABOUT ROBI AS THE MERGED COMPANY
Robi Axiata Limited is a joint venture between Axiata Group of Malaysia, Bharti Airtel, of India and NTT Docomo Inc., of Japan. Axiata holds 68.7% controlling stake in the entity, Bharti holds 25% while the remaining 6.3% is held by NTT Docomo of Japan. It is the second largest mobile phone operator of Bangladesh with approximately 32.2 million active subscribers. The company provides widest network coverage to 99% of the population with over 13,900 on-air sites of which over 8,000 are 3.5G sites. Robi is the first operator to introduce GPRS and 3.5G services in Bangladesh. The company has introduced many first of its kind digital services in the country and has invested heavily in taking mobile financial services to the underserved communities in the rural and semi-urban areas. Robi, as a socially responsible brand, has taken up a number of flagship Corporate Responsibility initiatives in the areas of ICT-Education, Health and Environment with a view to contribute towards the sustainable development of the country.
