Heading into 2020, no one could have predicted the challenges of COVID-19. Nor could they have guessed at its consequences for the international telecoms sector and for global markets more broadly. 

Indeed, back in February, we at Bank of Telecom (BoT) kicked off the year by announcing our new SMS service at the GCCM event in London. Although a great success, little did we know it would be our last in-person trade show of 2020. 

Suffice it to say, it was a challenge adjusting to the post-COVID world. We nevertheless found our stride in video conferencing, going the extra mile to communicate with our customers and attend virtual trade shows organized by ITW, Capacity, and GCCM. 

And guess what? We made it through 2020 stronger than ever. 

• We added some 300 new carriers 
• We enabled 1.5 billion minutes of voice calling 
• We facilitated 100 million SMS messages 
• And, to top it all off, we now boast some 300 carrier logins every day 

Pandemic or no pandemic, those are extraordinary results; and we’re excited to carry this momentum into 2021 and beyond. 

Our vision is to become the de facto international marketplace for telecoms trade. This year, despite everything, we made great progress towards meeting this objective. 

It’s a credit to our industry that we soldiered on in the face of unprecedented circumstances and remained productive through national lockdowns, social distancing, and shelter-in-place orders. 

So, on behalf of Bank of Telecom, I would like to express gratitude to our trade partners around the world — for their business and for their continued support. We look forward to meeting everyone again in 2021, whether in-person, over Zoom, or on a good old fashioned voice call. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

Mark Stewart 
CEO Bank of Telecom