10,000 GRAMEENPHONE BTS TO BE 3G BY JUNE 2016

DHAKA, Jan. 5 (NsNewsWire) —  Grameenphone Ltd. announced today that 100% of its existing 10,000 base stations across Bangladesh will support 3G services by June 2016. Grameenphone has in total more than 5,500 stations which have already been converted to 3G since the service was introduced in late 2013.

The announcement was made by Grameenphone CEO, Mr. Rajeev Sethi at a local hotel in the presence of Telenor Group CEO, Mr. Sigve Brekke.

In his presentation highlighting the network growth in 2015 the Grameenphone CEO said that 3401 3G stations were added to the network in 2015 taking GP’s total 3G sites across Bangladesh to 5,831 at the close of the year.

“We have made significant investment in 2015 and it is our intention to continue on with this momentum and add nearly 1700 more 3G sites by the end of the first quarter of this year,” Sethi said. “The addition will reach 3G services to nearly 90% of its subscriber base in that time,” he added.

Grameenphone had announced its alignment with the Group’s digital ambition to take internet for all after the introduction of 3G in Bangladesh. Since then the GP has quantified its ambition to acquire 50 million data customers on the GP network by 2019. As of the third quarter, there are more than 15.2 million data users on the GP network.

Speaking at the announcement program, Telenor Group CEO, Mr. Sigve Brekke, pointed out that “Grameenphone is on a transformation journey from a voice communications company to a digital services provider. As part of this transformation we have not only seen significant network investments but also, with active support from Telenor, introduction of new digital content and rich e-services in education, agriculture and health that have already demonstrated efficiency and progress among user beneficiaries.”

Suggesting that Grameenphone’s network expansion has been all inclusive, Sethi pointed out the recent introduction of 3G services in the newly acquired enclaves of Dohogram and Garati among others are small but significant in the company’s internet for all ambition.

The Grameenphone CEO stressed that the GP network ambition was not just about reach but also about customer experience on GP’s superior network. “Our ambition from the start was to ensure the best customer experience on our network, Sethi said, “Which is why we had invested in 10MHz of 3G spectrum from the onset. This initial investment has allowed us to continue to lead the industry with HD Voice and Digital Clarity and double speed HSPA for excellent user experience in voice and data services.”

Grameenphone has run an aggressive 3G roll-out plan and had covered all 64 districts in 6 months, much sooner than the 36-month conditionality stipulated in the 3G license agreement by the regulator. Moreover, GP’s 3G network has already been expanded across 481 upazillas in the country. The network expansion has not only involved adding new 3G sites and conversion of thousands of 2G sites to 3G sites, but also upgradation of existing 2G sites to further enhance 2G services for general customers.

While cumulative audited investment figures are unavailable for public disclosure, GP has invested BDT 14.7 billion up until the third quarter of 2015 to rollout 3G sites and in capacity enhancement. Cumulative audited figures for 2014 indicate that the company had invested BDT 15.2 billion (BDT 1,520 crores) that year and had already established 2430 3G sites in that period.