GP to invest more for better 3G access

Left, Vivek Sood, chief executive of Grameenphone, and Allan Bonke, chief marketing officer, pose with the company's two subscribers at a celebration in Dhaka yesterday. Photo: GP

Grameenphone is investing up to Tk 1,300 crore each year in building its network, and the figure will go up further in the days to come, its chief executive Vivek Sood said yesterday.

Investment is a must for the expansion of 3G services, he said, as the company responds to increasing demand for internet services. The operator currently has 55 lakh 3G internet users.

Celebrating the landmark of five crore subscriptions, the Grameenphone chief executive was speaking at a press event at the Westin Hotel in Dhaka.

“Today we celebrate this milestone with our customers. When we started this journey we pledged to provide uncompromising services to our customers. I am happy to say that we have not wavered and still strive towards ensuring the best services for our customers,” Sood said.

The company will increase its network coverage in both rural and urban areas, he said.

Sood also spoke about the company's ambition to serve 50 million internet users on its network within the next five years.

Grameenphone does not have sufficient preparation to handle the large number of data users currently, and is in a learning and optimisation process to provide good quality services, he said in response to a press query.

Calling the celebration of five crore customers more than just a celebration for Grameenphone alone, Allan Bonke, chief marketing officer, laid out a list of attractive offers for the customers “to celebrate with the company.”

Its 3G subscribers will enjoy double internet speed on their mobile devices with their existing internet packages at no additional costs, he cited as an example.

Furthermore, customers will enjoy a special limited time offer of Tk 0.05 per 10 second pulse within the Grameenphone network, the CMO added.

Two subscribers -- one the first and the other who marked the five-crore milestone -- were presented with crests at the celebration.

Starting operations on March 26, 1997, Grameenphone has the widest coverage. Recently, it became the first operator to bring all 64 districts of the country under its 3G network, fulfilling part of its ambition of 'Internet for all'.

The Grameenphone network currently has more than 8,600 base stations in operation, bringing 99 percent of the population under its coverage, it said in a statement.