Ensuring empowerment through interconnection

As a local telecommunication company, Grameenphone has done wonders in connecting the country by providing exemplary network coverage and services all across the nation. In the fourth part of this five-article series on Abu Saeed Khan's 'Partner in Digitalization 1997-2022', we will take a look at how Grameenphone has extended their network, accessibility and services in Bangladesh, even to the most remote areas of the country.

Remote coverage

A prime example of Grameenphone's extensive network is their coverage empowering some of the most remote and technologically inaccessible areas of Bangladesh. Abu Saeed Khan states in his report that Grameenphone provides essential coverage across the country's coastline, to Cox's Bazar, Kuakata, Bhola, Patuakhali, Sandwip and other major fishing spots. Fishermen, who constantly need to be wary of coastal storms, mechanical issues and pirate attacks via maritime communication, are dependent on the invaluable mobile network coverage provided to such regions.

Even newly formed local regions aren't exempt from Grameenphone's network. After the Land Boundary Agreement in 2015, Bangladesh gained new pieces of land that were previously known as enclaves. Later the same year, Grameenphone launched accessible 3G mobile services in such former enclaves, especially the Dahagram region of northern Lalmonirhat district; steadily rolling out reliable mobile internet for the 42,000 citizens of the 111 former enclaves. The service was eventually made available in the neighbouring areas of Lalmonirhat, Panchagarh, Kurigram and Nilphamari districts as well - places previously lacking reliable mobile coverage. 

An EDGE in remittance

Poorer families are often dependent on migrant family members sending money from abroad. Grameenphone's 2.5G mobile internet service, called EDGE, greatly helped the country's foreign remittance by providing reliable internet access and extensive nationwide coverage that facilitated international money transfers. 

Abu Saeed Khan states in his report that when EDGE was launched, it drove forward a remittance revolution in Bangladesh; helping banks and NGOs manage cross-border payments more easily and at a much cheaper rate than before. The remittance process involved the migrant worker sending the family a unique code with which they could withdraw money from a local NGO branch office or exchange house. As the process heavily depended on reliable internet service, rural branches of remittance NGOs greatly benefited from the ease provided by the EDGE 2.5G internet.

Flexi Load to the future

A major reason behind the accessibility of Grameenhone's network services lies in their revolutionary balance top-up system. By utilising the intelligent network (IN) billing systems, Grameenphone's electronic top-up service, known famously as Flexi Load, allows customers to recharge their account balance in small denominators. This means that Grameenphone users no longer need to rely on fixed-cost scratch cards, as all possible amounts of credit can be deposited at any time thanks to the sheer possibilities of Flexi Load. 

Thus, prepaid mobile services became more accessible to the general public, especially to poorer and rural citizens who could now make long-distance calls without sacrificing a significant portion of their expenditure. Since the inception of Flexi Load, many other local telecom companies have adapted the concept, allowing small to medium-sized businesses to invest smarter in essential telecommunication functions. Even now, many local companies are dependent on the adaptable cash deposit system provided by Flexi Load to conduct important transactions and payments.

Grameenphone's accessible services and extensive network paved the future of telecommunication in Bangladesh. Citizens of remote, distant areas now have access to mobile internet and reliable electronic top-up. As such, the economic empowerment facilitated by such services cannot be overlooked -  a factor we will explore in the final instalment of this series, coming next week.

[The viewpoints and findings in this article are based on Abu Saeed Khan's compiled report 'Partner in Digitalization 1997 - 2022'. You can find the entire report on Grameenphone's official website, accessible here.]