Robi set to rebrand with new name

The mobile phone operator, widely known as 'Robi Axiata Limited', is undergoing a transformation to become 'Robi Axiata PLC'. This decision has been made in their board meeting, and the company has formally requested this modification from the BTRC, providing the meeting minutes as part of the application process.

Robi is the first BTRC licensee to change its name to 'Public Limited Company' or 'PLC'.

Mohammed Shahedul Alam, Robi's Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer, said that they are adding 'PLC' to the company name to ensure more compliance.

A senior official at BTRC said, "The mobile phone operator has submitted a request to the Department of Posts and Telecommunications seeking approval to change the name to 'PLC'. They have assured that despite the name change, the license conditions and all responsibilities will remain unchanged. Additionally, they have committed to providing all relevant documents to BTRC for review."

In Robi's ownership structure, Axiata Group Berhad of Malaysia holds a 61.82% stake, Bharti Airtel of India owns 28.18%, and the remaining 10% is owned by the general public. The company came to public with an IPO on December 24, 2020.
In 1997, Telecom Malaysia International (Bangladesh) launched its operations in Bangladesh under the brand name 'Aktel'. In 2010, the company rebranded to 'Robi' and changed its name to 'Robi Axiata Limited'. After merging with Airtel Bangladesh, they began their commercial journey as a merged company on November 16, 2016.

LTD & PLC:

In the corporate world, a Public Limited Company is abbreviated as 'PLC', while a Private Limited Company is abbreviated as 'LTD'. The primary difference between these two types of organizations is that shares in private limited companies are not easily transferable and can only be bought and sold privately. Additionally, shares of private limited companies are not available to the general public.

On the other hand, shares of public limited companies are easily tradable and common people can trade their shares. Many listed companies in our country use the word 'Limited' at the end of their name. 'Limited' is expressed as LTD. But which means, it is a private company. Industry experts feel that this is a common mistake. That is why a new clause was added to identify public limited companies through the amendment of the Companies Act in 2020. The section states that to identify a 'Public Limited Company', their name should be followed by 'Public Limited Company' or PLC.