Dhiraagu Begins International Links

Dhiraagu, the largest telecommunications company in the Maldives, has awarded Telecom Italia Sparkle – the wholesale global operator part of the Telecom Italia Group – one of its first international links via submarine cable.

The agreement means older satellite technology will be replaced by the Dhiraagu Submarine Cable Network – DSCN (being composed of the international cable system between Maldives and Sri Lanka and the inter-atoll domestic cable) to provide telecommunications services to the Maldives.

The circuit will be routed on the recently inaugurated Maldives – Sri Lanka cable which was built under partnership between Dhiraagu and Sri Lanka Telecom. It will then be connected to a cable system in Palermo, Italy.

“We are extremely delighted to have strengthened our good business relationship with Telecom Italia Sparkle. This will allow us to expand our worldwide connectivity, in a manner that will further improve our customer experiences, by taking advantage of the global reach and quality of service TIS has to offer”, said Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ismail Waheed.

Dhiraagu was set up in the Maldives in 1988. Like many big companies in the Maldives, it is majority owned by the government, who hold a 55% share. The remaining stake is held by the UK based company Cable and Wireless, which has worked in the Maldives providing telecoms services on behalf of the government since 1977.

Dhiraagu is a private company and does not publish its profit or other financial information.

The company held a monopoly on telecommunications services in the Maldives until 2004, when the authorities began issuing licences. Two other companies, Rajje Online and Kuwaiti company, Wataniya Telecom International, now also operate in the country.

Dhiraagu have come in for much criticism throughout their 18-year history. Throughout the nineties many complained of excessively high pricing. More recently, with the growth of an opposition movement in the country, the company has struggled to garner trust among users.

Many fear their SMS messages and internet activity may be seen by a third party and that phone conversation may be heard by government authorities due to the company’s close links to the Gayoom regime. Some have also accused Dhiraagu of cutting SMS messaging services during key protests by the opposition, which the company has denied.

Dhiraagu remains the only provider of landlines in the Maldives.