Airtel launches GPS to help track Bangladeshi fishing boats

DHAKA - India’s Bharti Airtel Limited, which has acquired 70 percent stake in Bangladesh’s Warid Telecom, has launched a GPS-based vessel locating service to enable the country’s fishermen communities to track their fishing boats.

This service is in line with the promise of taking mobile telephony to Bangladesh’s rural areas and its long coastline on the Bay of Bengal that is prone to cyclone and other calamities.

Warid is now Airtel in Bangladesh, linking its four million subscribers with the 200 million Airtel customers in 19 Asian and African countries where Bharti Airtel operates, the New Age newspaper reported Tuesday.

Airtel Bangladesh got into operation with the brand promise “Bhalobashar tane, pashe ane,” meaning the attraction of love brings one near.

“The brand promise reflects what is unique and different about us. We are here to keep our customers connected not only to one another but with what they love the most in every aspect of their life - music, games, entertainment and networking,” Airtel Bangladesh chief executive officer Chris Tobit said.

Besides a set of voice and data services, Airtel Bangladesh will offer its subscribers a variety of “innovative lifestyle-based” services, Tobit said.

Airtel Bangladesh subscribers would also get access to multimedia content with the launch of Airtel Live, a WAP portal offering customers services like Games zone, Video post and Picture post.

Other value-added services include “Gaan Bolo, Gaan Pao” (name the song and get it), Cricket Caller tunes and Classified services.