Ismail Rasheed — our homegrown CEO

Sitting across Ismail Rasheed, who projects both a welcoming, confident, and quite amicable, nature it was not hard to see why even as the company he leads is criticised and scrutinised, he continues to be well respected and admired. The fact that he is the CEO of Dhiraagu, the first and largest telecommunications company in the Maldivian archipelago notwithstanding, there is a certain air of integrity and determination that belies his handwork and work ethic. 

As our conversation begins, he gives us a good-humored warning; that he is a simple man, someone who says things as they are, and most would vouch for that. There is hardly any hesitation in answering some burning questions as well as recounting his numerous experiences, and it was obvious how much he was driven by the principles of endeavor and national duty. 

Success story, through and through

Describing the journey of the telecommunication service, he very pointedly states it as a success story, through and through. As the catalyst for socio-economic development in the Maldives, Dhiraagu  established telephone connectivity throughout the Maldives within ten years its existence, to fulfill the Government’s mandate to connect all the inhabited islands of the country. While the initial network infrastructure was based on microwave radio technology, since 2012 there has been a significant transformation. The speed at which technology was developing meant the work was increasing exponentially as well.

With the establishment of nine landing stations, a nationwide submarine network was set down throughout the entire country, from north to south — at Dhiraagu’s own insistence they would lay down their own cable while their competitors were left to establish a combined venture of their own as the incumbent stepped away from initial negotiations. Dhiraagu soon became the first telecommunications company in a competitive market to tout data coverage to 100 percent of the population, a feat that is still not met in some of the most developed nations worldwide. Rasheed very proudly stated how today 80 pecent of households in the Maldives currently have access to Dhiraagu Fibre to the home connection. 

A fact that the former engineer expanded upon was how Dhiraagu was constantly immersed and enabling other industries across the nation as well. Constantly advancing and strengthening connectivity, it had opened the door for exponential growth and technology transfer across multiple industries in the nation. The sophisticated network allows individuals to tap into the latest resources and keep time with the rest of the world. 

Rasheed fondly recalls how he felt extremely lucky and blessed for having been given the opportunity to undertake his journey with Dhiraagu. He believes not many people get the chance to be part of a program that spans decades, building an entire communication infrastructure for a nation. Being a key enabler of the digital transformation of the Maldives, Dhiraagu gave him the chance to be part of international collaborations with digital service providers from around the world, and keep the nation up to par with the world — he and his team are driven by passion to advance the nation and enrich lives, with a vision to develop the community through these services.

Constant effort to excel

Where he stands, Dhiraagu is striving constantly to provide accessible and affordable services to accelerate technology transformation. With services such as Dhiraagu Pay, and by expanding customer experiences through digitising channels, Dhiraagu works at being within reach of any and every Maldivian, whenever and whereever they may require the telecom’s services. When asked about the effects of the global pandemic, his answers were pleasantly surprising.

He states that over 95 percent of the workforce were almost instantly switched to a working-from-home model. This was because Dhiraagu had been prepared for something like this, and nearly all services that did not require a physical presence was switched to this standard. This included even call centre services, which the staff conducted seamlessly from the comfort and safety of their homes, ensuring Dhiraagu did not fall out of step. 

The fact that the entire nation was so dependent on telecommunication services made his work all the more meaningful, adds Rasheed. Conferences, work management, and even education was almost entirely online, and Dhiraagu managed to cater to every demand placed on them. He states that the company received quite positive feedback as well, especially from corporate customers. 

Overcoming challenges

What followed this were the burning questions; issues raised by the wider customer base, and he did not falter in responding. Regarding connectivity issues, Rasheed very helpfully illustrated how not only Dhiraagu but any telecommunications company in the Maldives faced challenges that were quite a league apart from the rest of the world.

The list of contrasting costings was long; the costs for international connectivity is significant since the connection had to go through international submarine cable systems to Sri Lanka and interconnect with other global cable systems to access multiple countries. The long distances between islands, and the need to establish separate stations and access networks (mobile 2G/3G/4G and Fixed) in  each island, including the very smaller islands, the frequent upgrading of technology required and the technical maintenance, and human resources required to keep pace with such an operation add to these costs to provide the services to the end customer. These costs impact the pricing and design of packages. He assured that the company listens to customer feedback and are continuously innovating to improve their services to deliver a better experience.

He elaborates on another obstacle as well, one closer to home for users in Malé. The constant urbanisation and redevelopment of buildings, built higher and higher each year, meant antennas had to be constantly moved around to provide optimal mobile coverage; another costly affair.

The CEO believes that digital services are becoming more and more optimal for Maldivian customers. Having the ability to create one’s own plan based on their own personal usage was something that allowed a lot of people to pay for the exact product they use. On top of that, the newly enhanced throttle speeds of fixed broadband ensured that customers are able to use the most essential services, such as email, social media and other online services without much difficulty. 

Successful apprenticeship program

Being a role-model in the industry, the next enquiry was regarding the CSR work done by Dhiraagu. Rasheed very proudly outlined how the company has been running a very successful apprenticeship program, which, according to post-surveys conducted, has resulted in 100 percent employment following the program. This included self-employment as well as good positions in other fields and companies. Their work extended to developing the startup culture in the Maldives, through collaborations with ventures such as SparkHub- to bring Startup Weekend, Angel Hack and more.

Advice for young hopefuls

Summing up, Rasheed had quite an inspirational piece of advice for young people, who both looked up to him and were aspiring to become leaders in industry.

Having sat down with the Dhiraagu CEO one cannot be simply dismissive of the challenges the industry faces on a daily basis. It is important, however, to still demand accountability from these service providers and corporations, and at the same time, work to achieve the dreams and aspirations one has through diligence, handwork, and cooperation.