Amsterdam and Dhaka – VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam: VEON), a global digital operator that provides converged connectivity and online services, announces that Banglalink, its leading innovative digital service provider in Bangladesh, has received a unified licence from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). 

The newly issued licence combines existing authorisations to use 2G, 3G, and 4G standards, making Banglalink’s licences technology-agnostic across these three generations, and can also be used for the rollout of future technologies. By consolidating the existing licences, it simplifies and streamlines licence renewal to a single process. The unified licence also facilitates the active sharing of infrastructure resources between operators, provides clearer guidelines on data retention, offers more clarity regarding the audit period, and rationalizes various fees and charges.

“The unified licence frees up capacity for Banglalink to deliver superior digital services, enhance connectivity to its customers and streamline the user experience that it provides. We commend the Government of Bangladesh for their progressive approach in supporting our industry’s contributions to the country’s digitalization” said Kaan Terzioglu, Group CEO of VEON.

“This is an important milestone in Banglalink’s quest to pioneer innovative digital services through our nationwide network coverage, liberating crucial resources for us to focus on providing a superior customer experience. These changes will positively impact Banglalink’s adoption of advanced technologies and help us support the Smart Bangladesh vision” said Erik Aas, CEO of Banglalink.

“As we award Banglalink the unified licence, we step closer to our goal of a streamlined telecom sector for a Smart Bangladesh. We appreciate Banglalink's dedication to fulfilling corporate governance standards and their role in shaping a digitally advanced future, focusing on connectivity and innovation” said Engineer Md Mohiuddin Ahmed, Chairman of the BTRC. Erik Aas, Chief Executive Officer of Banglalink, received the unified licence from Engineer Md Mohiuddin Ahmed, Chairman of the BTRC in Dhaka on 14 March 2024.