Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug. 26 / Trend , H.Valiyev/
Azerbaijani market of mobile communications will be ready for the technological break-through in order to continue its growth through introduction of new technologies, such as 3G. It is new products and services that would guarantee growth for mobile operators. Bakcell is one of the mobile operators that is rapidly expanding its network, enhancing its presence in the regions of the country and developing new tools and strategies to attract new customers. The company's CEO Ineke Botter informed about the changes that Bakcell is undergoing in her interview to Trend .
Trend : Ms. Botter, what's your take on the mobile communications market of Azerbaijan?
Ineke Botter: I think the market in this country will still grow. And this is what is going to happen for at least another three years. Here we're talking about the growth in terms of number of active subscribers. As for the products and services portfolio of mobile operators, the technological development is the only limit or boundary here - so the portfolio of services will grow further. And that is what Bakcell is doing now - we are expanding the network and platforms in order to be able to offer a greater variety of products and services to our customers.
Q: What's the number of Bakcell subscribers?
A: We have 1, 5 million active subscribers - it means people who don't just have a Bakcell SIM card, but those subscribers who are using the Bakcell services all the time. As for the number of people who have a Bakcell number, that figure should be almost 2 million.
Q: Everyone's waiting for the introduction of 3G technology. Is Bakcell ready for it?
A: As for Bakcell, we're ready to move in this direction. However the decision on 3G is being taken by the government of Azerbaijan and the relevant authorities. There is already a Presidential Decree that paves way for the issuance of 3G licenses. We're waiting for the exact description of documents we need to prepare in order to submit our application for the license and to get required frequencies.
Q: What is the volume of your investments this year?
A: The total figure of Bakcell's investments this year is more than 150 million US dollar. First and foremost we've spent this money to enhance and modernize Bakcell's network - our capacity and coverage has almost doubled in the last eight months. In order to achieve that we've bought the latest equipment and software.
This year we have successfully carried out a multi-million rebranding project - whereby we refurbished over 220 Bakcell dealer shops. We have launched our new logo and new marketing campaigns, such as Bakcell's new television commercials which have been praised a lot in the Azeri media by experts and ordinary subscribers alike.
Q: You signed an agreement with Nokia Siemens Networks earlier this year to get new Flexi Edge base stations for the expansion of your network. How many BTS's has Bakcell installed this year and what is the total number of on-air stations now?
A: Nokia Siemens Networks is one of the major suppliers of mobile communications network equipment in the world. And yes, we are buying most of our equipment from Nokia Siemens Networks, although we have other suppliers too. Let me give you some statistics in order to demonstrate our achievements in this field. On January 1, 2009 there were 750 on-air Bakcell base stations in the whole of the country. In the previous seven months we have brought the number of base stations to 1,100 BTS. And by the end of this year we are planning to have approximately 2,000 base stations across the country. Bear in mind that we're installing new state-of-the-art new generation stations base stations which are more effective than the older generations BTS. So we are swapping older generation base stations with new Nokia Siemens base stations. We have already installed hundreds of these new generation stations.
Q: What are you doing to become most preferred operator by the customers?
A: As Bakcell we have brand values in which we believe - firstly, we're Azerbaijani company and we're proud of this. Secondly, we strive to offer the best value for the customers. We also want our products and services to be clear and simple and thus more attractive to customers. Through introduction of latest technologies and innovations we are want to always offer our subscribers new and original services. Our philosophy is to closer to our customers and that's why we are constantly trying to make our customer care more efficient and appealing to 'get closer' to our customers. By the way, we're now also studying the possibilities to make the work of our Call Centers more effective, so that customers' queries can be addressed in a much quicker way. I also believe that our social responsibility and contribution to the society makes us different to others.
Q: Well, talking about social responsibility, how important is it for Bakcell?
A: I noticed that many companies, and not just in Azerbaijan, think that Corporate Social Responsibility is just mere sponsoring of random projects. In Bakcell we don't think like that, because we have a clear and though-out CSR philosophy. We genuinely believe that today's children and youngsters are this country's future and it will be up to them to take the country further. So we want to help children, but primarily - children in need. So we have developed a CSR strategy that aims to support kids, especially those who are disadvantaged, in order for them to realize their talents and true potential. We recently officially launched our CSR program - 'Bakcell Stars'. So what we're going to do isn't just sheer sponsorship. We're going to organize educational activities for kids, like singing, drawing, theatre classes. We're working with well-known and respected charities. We have recently signed an agreement with SOS Children's Villages Azerbaijan and we will support children staying at SOS villages. But there are other charities which we are planning to work with.
Q: Is CSR becoming more important in the world in general?
A: I think that big corporations and companies are like human beings or citizens, if you like. So they also have their responsibilities before the society in which they live and operate. CSR is becoming increasingly important around the world.
Most of the big and known corporations are now investing millions in various CSR programs. In some countries of the developing world, like in South East Asia, for example, big companies practically stop spending big money on advertisements campaigns. Instead they channel a lot of resources to carry out various CSR projects and that, I believe, is the best way to show everyone that you are your responsible citizen and that you take seriously the country in which you operate and people you work with and for.