The government has no plans to sell the state-owned mobile operator Teletalk Bangladesh Limited, said Post, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam has said.
He stated it during a view exchange meeting with IT journalists in the capital on Tuesday (July 7).
The decision is driven by recent proposals from multinational corporations, trends in the telecom sector, and the government's future roadmap.
The minister explained that retaining Teletalk is crucial to maintaining balance in a competitive market. Instead of selling it, the government will upgrade and modernise its network and technology infrastructure.
Referring to a proposal of VEON, the parent company of Banglalink, he said VEON has recently submitted a written expression of interest (EoI) to the government to partner with two state-owned enterprises-- Teletalk and BTCL.
They proposed merging Teletalk with Banglalink.
VEON Chairman Augie K. Fabela's $1 billion investment proposal for Bangladesh primarily targets digital banking, next-generation digital infrastructure, AI, and Mobile Financial Services (MFS).
Beyond Teletalk, the minister said VEON had also shown interest in acquiring the MFS provider 'Nagad'. However, the minister said that due to legal complexities and ongoing lawsuits, Nagad will currently remain under an administrator, with further decisions pending legal resolution.
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