GP aims to expand 3G all across Bangladesh
Grameenphone aims to expand 3G services to all parts of Bangladesh by upgrading all its 10,000 base stations by June, a top official said yesterday.
GP, the country's largest telecom operator, currently has 5,800 such sites, and an additional 1,700 will be upgraded within the first quarter of this year, Rajeev Sethi, chief executive officer of Grameenphone, told reporters at the Westin Dhaka.
“Currently, 65 percent of 5.7 crore active Grameenphone users are covered by the 3G networks, which is already significant for a country like Bangladesh,” said Sethi.
“After June, customers can use the fastest available data service anywhere in the country.”
Grameenphone is the first operator to make voice services available all over the country, and will replicate the model for data as well, he said. Sigve Brekke, president and CEO of Telenor Group, the major shareholder of Grameenphone, was present at the event and said they are inspired by the growth of data services in Bangladesh.
Brekke said the company's ambition is to make every active mobile user an internet user as well.
Bangladesh's market is about to expand in terms of internet usage, and Grameenphone is preparing its network to take the lead, according to Brekke.
Internet penetration in Bangladesh is about 28 percent, and Brekke expects it to reach 50 percent soon.
Not many countries rolled out 3G services as fast as Grameenphone did in Bangladesh, according to Brekke.
Grameenphone has covered all 64 districts within six months of its rollout, much sooner than the 36-month conditionality stipulated in the 3G licence agreement by the regulator. It has also expanded 3G coverage across 481 upazilas.
Grameenphone invested about Tk 1,470 crore until the third quarter of 2015 in rolling out 3G services and boosting capacity.
The company's investment will jump 30 percent this year from last year, said a senior executive.
The company spent some Tk 1,520 crore to set up 2,430 3G sites in 2014.
Several new digital services will enter the market within a short time, which will open new windows of opportunity for education, health, banking and other services and drive growth in the internet business, Brekke said.
“I think Bangladesh will become a renowned and leading country for digital services in the international arena,” he said.
Grameenphone is awaiting spectrum neutrality and preparing to offer 4G services, Brekke said in response to a query.
It is technically possible to offer 4G services in 2016, but there are pre-requisites to that, like spectrum neutrality, among others, he added.
On the issue of a proposed merger between two mobile operators in Bangladesh, Brekke said spectrum could become an issue.
Grameenphone also needs more spectrum to offer better quality services, and is planning to partner with different companies for different services, he said.
This is Brekke's first visit to Bangladesh after taking over as president and CEO of Telenor Group in August last year. He replaced Jon Fredrik Baksaas, the longtime president and CEO.
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