OTT apps usage booming

Telephone calls drop significantly

The number of direct calls made per day has declined significantly due to the increasing use of Over-the-Top (OTT) applications such as Skype, Viber and other apps. According to the Bangladesh Telecom-munication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), direct calls made per day have dropped to 7 million minutes or less from 10 million minutes.
“One million calls were generated at the end of last year, while the number has declined this year,” said a BTRC official.
Over-the-Top applications are those where by using apps and services such as Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, Tango and Hangout one can call and  message at lower cost if they have an internet connection.
That’s why, customers are now moving away from direct calls.
Haseeb Rashid, chief marketing officer of a IGW operator Novotel, said, “The number of calls will fall even further as most of the time people place ‘missed call’ when calling aboard and wait for their friends or relatives to call back, as calling other countries using a landline is more expensive compared to calls through OTT apps”.
With the popularity of smartphones increasing, the number calls using OTT apps is set to increase, he said. The video call option in OTT apps is another reason for their increasing popularity and decline in international calls using a landline.
Md Sarwar Alam, Secretary of BTRC, said the use of smartphones has increased by almost 200 per cent in 2014-2015 compared to 2013-2014.
BTRC launched its 3G service in October, 2013. However, the state-owned mobile phone operator, Teletalk, started the service before that.
“The cost of communication is coming down with the expansion of technology. And, people feel a lot more comfortable using OTT apps,” added Sarwar Alam.
Arif Mahmood, a student at the Dhaka University said: “The amount of local calls will drop as well if the internet speed increases in future. The calling feature on Viber or Skype is a lot more convenient than traditional calls. Mobile phone operators should increase the speed of internet. With progress of technology everyone will use OTT.”
“Not only voice, but video calls, instant messaging, uploading and downloading pictures, exchanging photos are also very easy on these apps,” added Mahmood.
According to BTRC, it’s going to introduce a monitoring system to test the internet speed of operators to avoid a crisis.

OTT apps usage booming

Telephone calls drop significantly

The number of direct calls made per day has declined significantly due to the increasing use of Over-the-Top (OTT) applications such as Skype, Viber and other apps. According to the Bangladesh Telecom-munication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), direct calls made per day have dropped to 7 million minutes or less from 10 million minutes. One million calls were generated at the end of last year, while the number has declined this year, said a BTRC official. Over-the-Top applications are those where by using apps and services such as Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, Tango and Hangout one can call and message at lower cost if they have an internet connection. Thats why, customers are now moving away from direct calls. Haseeb Rashid, chief marketing officer of a IGW operator Novotel, said, The number of calls will fall even further as most of the time people place missed call when calling aboard and wait for their friends or relatives to call back, as calling other countries using a landline is more expensive compared to calls through OTT apps. With the popularity of smartphones increasing, the number calls using OTT apps is set to increase, he said. The video call option in OTT apps is another reason for their increasing popularity and decline in international calls using a landline. Md Sarwar Alam, Secretary of BTRC, said the use of smartphones has increased by almost 200 per cent in 2014-2015 compared to 2013-2014. BTRC launched its 3G service in October, 2013. However, the state-owned mobile phone operator, Teletalk, started the service before that. The cost of communication is coming down with the expansion of technology. And, people feel a lot more comfortable using OTT apps, added Sarwar Alam. Arif Mahmood, a student at the Dhaka University said: The amount of local calls will drop as well if the internet speed increases in future. The calling feature on Viber or Skype is a lot more convenient than traditional calls. Mobile phone operators should increase the speed of internet. With progress of technology everyone will use OTT. Not only voice, but video calls, instant messaging, uploading and downloading pictures, exchanging photos are also very easy on these apps, added Mahmood. According to BTRC, its going to introduce a monitoring system to test the internet speed of operators to avoid a crisis.