Company Profile

Robi Axiata PLC is the leading digital service provider of the country. Over the last 27 years, the company has steadfastly made a mammoth capital investment to build telecom network infrastructure across the country. In addition to serving around 5.8 crore customers from all strata of the society, this telecom infrastructure is providing lifeline services to the country’s thriving mobile financial services and the digital start-up sector.

Shareholder Structure:

Being part of the Malaysia based Asian telecom giant, Axiata Group Berhad, Robi operates through a robust corporate governance structure where uncompromising integrity and exceptional performance forms the DNA of its organizational culture. Axiata Group Berhad holds the controlling stake of 61.82% in Robi Axiata PLC, while : Bharti International Singapore holds 28.18%, the remaining 10% is held by the general public.

Pathbreaking History:

The company made its debut in the country’s twin stock markets in Dhaka and Chattogram on the 24th of December 2020 with the largest ever IPO of the country till date. The company commenced operation in 1997 as Telekom Malaysia International (Bangladesh) with the brand name ‘Aktel’. In 2010, it was rebranded as ‘Robi’ and the company changed its name to Robi Axiata PLC.

Back in February, 2018, Robi made history by launching 4G on the very day of commercial launch of the service in all the 64 districts of the country. The company continues to maintain its momentum even today as it now leads the industry in having the largest proportion of active subscribers as internet and 4G users.

In its long journey, Robi has successfully completed the biggest ever merger of the country when it merged with Airtel Bangladesh. The merged company, Robi Axiata PLC (Robi), started its commercial operation on 16 November 2016. As of now, it is the first ever merger in the mobile telecom sector of Bangladesh as well.

Critical Data-points:

Till end of Q3’24, Robi had rolled out close to 18,000 4G sites enabling 98.96% of the population to come under the coverage of its 4G network. Out of its active subscribers base of 5 crore 79 lakhs (As of Q3’24), 4 crore 43 lakhs were internet users, and 3 crore 70 lakhs were 4G users. In other words, 76.5% of active subscriber base were internet users, and 64% were 4G users. With around 19.5 million monthly active users of the single app- My Robi and My Airtel, Robi Axiata PLC is empowering customers to take control over the way they wish to be served by Robi.

bdapps- democratizing innovation at grassroots level:

Having pioneered the national appstore of Bangladesh- bdapps, Robi has so far created a pool of 65+ thousand young apps developers who have hosted more than 100+ thousand mobile apps on the platform. Therefore, this platform has become the epicenter of digital innovation at the grassroots level and a major digital entrepreneurship platform for the aspiring youth.

Besides bdapps, Robi’s digital entrepreneurship platform, r-ventures, has also evolved into a major platform for promoting digital start-ups in Bangladesh. Over several years, Robi has invested heavily in promising start-ups and provided management advisory support to scale their business with enviable results.

Innovation driving products & services:

Innovation being the core driver behind Robi’s growth strategy, features heavily in its product and service portfolio. Robi has a number of path breaking digital lifestyle products that are having transformative impact on peoples lives across the country.

Health focused digital lifestyle solution- HealthPlus, Islamic lifestyle focused digital solution- Noor, premium OTT platform offers are providing much needed convenience for its customers. Robi has also made significant inroads into the mobile games or eSports domain. This has been bolstered over the years through several highly competitive eSports tournaments.

With dedicated focus, Robi is also supporting the digital transformation journey of the enterprise sector through cutting edge tailor made digital solutions.

Thriving ecommerce platforms:

robishop.com, Robi’s ecommerce platform for digital gadgets has established itself as the authentic and reliable platform for branded products. bdtickets, on the other hand, has already evolved as the largest ticketing platform in the country for purchasing bus tickets. It collaborates with 140+ bus operators to serve bus ticketing service to 50+ thousand travelers everyday. Through its OTT platform, Binge, Robi is unleashing the cultural vitality of the country through entertainment content from this platform.

Excellence in AI and Data Analytics:

Analytics Centre of Excellence (ACE) is one of the key strategic levers that is accentuating Robi’s digital journey. ACE has consistently come on top of AI maturity index among all the operating companies of Axiata Group Berhad indicating its credential as a world class Analytics outfit within Robi. Organizing Datathon competition for the country’s Data Scientists and Data Engineers over the years have further enhanced Robi’s appeal as the leader in data analytics in the industry.

ESG- setting the tone for Robi’s growth mantra:

As part of its drive for ESG, Robi is working towards fulfilling its commitment to reach net-zero GHG emissions across its value chain by 2050. The company is working in collaboration with Axiata Group to execute the agreed plans with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) to accomplish its net-zero vision.

Robi is also working in the domain of Child online safety by removing content unsuitable for children from its network. It has also taken lead in forming Bangladesh Safe Internet Forum- a public advocacy forum to promote responsible use of internet in the country. Also, the company has set up water plants at 10 major railway stations in Bangladesh that provide pure drinking water to an estimated 1.3+ million users every month. All of Robi’s ESG initiatives are mapped against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Committed to enabling a thriving digital economy:

It was the first mobile operator to have successfully conducted the trial run of 5G and launched Voice over LTE technology on its 4.5G network. Robi is committed to enabling the implementation of a thriving digital economy that can support the rapidly expanding digital society in Bangladesh.