As a remote and obscure archipelago lying in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives of the past faced unsurprising lags in keeping up with the rest of the evolving world.
Even just three decades ago, only a few lucky folks had the privilege of owning a telephone, while the masses communicated via letters or messages that had to be sent at a predetermined time to the island or atoll office.
Such was the situation in Maldives when the country's first telecommunications company, 'Dhiraagu', came into existence on October 1, 1988.
A joint venture between the Maldivian government and Cable & Wireless of the UK, Dhiraagu was the first ever company to establish a nationwide telecom network across Maldives. The company achieved the revolutionary milestone within the first 10 years of its service, changing the face of Maldivians' day-to-day life forever.
Telephone booths began to crop up in islands and the people abandoned their pens and paper, eagerly lining up in front of the booths to call their loved ones. The long queues were hardly daunting in comparison to the days and months one had to wait for a single letter to cross oceans, and Maldivians had Dhiraagu to thank for bringing them closer to bridging that distance.
"Indeed, connecting all the inhabited islands and resorts via telephone, in an archipelago like the Maldives where the islands are far and wide apart across such a vast area, is one of Dhiraagu's biggest and most important developmental achievements," said the company's Chief Executive Officer Ismail Rasheed.
"It advanced the socioeconomic progress of Maldives, and was a great boost in fulfilling the personal needs of people and spreading businesses and tourism across the country."
As technology continued to evolve in the outside world, Dhiraagu persevered to keep pace and ensure that the small island nation received its share. With the introduction of mobile phones on November 21, 1999, not a single island was deprived of the then must-have GSM mobile phone service.
Dhiraagu achieved another new milestone by providing mobile phone services to all inhabited islands in the year 2008, 20 years after the company was first founded. CEO Ismail Rasheed, one of the figures leading that project, described the accomplishment as a revolution in the telecommunications sector.
Since then, Dhiraagu has continued to take Maldives' telecommunications industry to new heights. As the era of internet rolled in, Dhiraagu not only introduced broadband connection to each inhabited island, the company connected the entire archipelago via a submarine cable network to provide high-speed broadband internet connection at economical rates.
The company experienced a shuffle in its board of directors in 2013, after Cable & Wireless Communications sold the majority of its assets in Monaco & Islands Business Unit to Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco). As a result, Batelco acquired 52 percent of Dhiraagu shares.
Continuing forward with the new change, Dhiraagu not only provided 3G mobile broadband to all inhabited islands in 2015, but the company also completed its ambitious endeavour to introduce 4G, the fastest mobile broadband currently available in the country, to all the islands.
Now established as the largest local telecom giant, Dhiraagu also provides fibre-optic internet to 70 percent of the population, including all of capital Male City; an accomplishment yet to be achieved or surpassed by any other firm.
As Dhiraagu celebrates its 30th anniversary today on October 1, the revolutionary changes the company has brought to the lives of Maldivians are a testimony to how far the company has progressed in achieving its vision of 'enriching lives'.
"Our vision is 'enriching lives', which means to bring further progress and prosperity to Maldives. I believe Dhiraagu has undertaken much to achieve this vision. Our proudest achievement lies within the prominent role Dhiraagu played in the socioeconomic development of Maldives," said CEO Ismail Rasheed.
Though a triumph in itself, Dhiraagu's services over the past 30 years did not stop at merely improving everyday life. The telecom giant has also contributed substantially to the betterment of the local business sector and economy of the country.
"That Dhiraagu's services and customer base increase day by day while our business profit and shareholder profits also rise year by year, is a testimony to our success," said CEO Ismail as he profusely thanked Dhiraagu's customers for their unwavering trust and support for the company.
Noting that Dhiraagu was formed as a joint venture between the Maldivian government and a British telecommunications firm, Ismail Rasheed stated that Dhiraagu's accomplishments have cemented its place as one of the most successful business models in Maldives. While Dhiraagu had initially held the monopoly of the Maldivian telecom sector, the introduction of competition on the field has not intimidated the company from enduring and pushing forward.
"Dhiraagu is an excellent example of a joint venture between the government and a foreign company, and proof that there is a conducive environment for businesses as well as a successful business model in Maldives. It shows that Maldivians can operate a competitive business pitted against world-class companies."
In addition to telecommunications and internet connection services, Dhiraagu has continued to expand its product line to 'enrich lives', with the launch of new offerings such as the 'Dhiraagu TV' in 2015, later followed by internet money transfer 'Dhiraagu Pay' in 2017 and IPTV services this year.
Reminiscing on Dhiraagu's long journey of 30 years, CEO Ismail Rasheed attributed all of the company's achievements to the hard work of its dedicated staff.
"I believe that Dhiraagu has the best team in all of Maldives. The fact that more than 99 percent of them are locals is something we're very proud of," he proclaimed.
"I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all the past and current staff of Dhiraagu."
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