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1. Introduction 
Grameenphone (Bengali: গ্রামীণফোন) is a GSM-based cellular operator in Bangladesh. Grameenphone started operations on March 26, 1997. It is partly owned by Telenor (62%) and Grameen Telecom (38%).
Grameenphone is the largest mobile phone company in Bangladesh with 20.84 million customers as of August, 2008. It is also one the fastest growing cellular telephone networks in Bangladesh.
On the 16th of November, 2006 GP formally changed its logo to match its parent company Telenor's logo. According to GP the new logo symbolizes trust, reliability, quality and constant progress.
The name Grameenphone was kept as part of the new identity because the name Grameenphone carries with it all of the heritage, success and values of the companies past, added the then CEO of Grameenphone Erik Aas.
2. History
The idea of providing wider mobile phone access to rural areas was originally conceived by Iqbal Quadir, who is currently the founder and director of the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT. He was inspired by the Grameen Bank microcredit model and envisioned a business model where a cell phone can serve as a source of income. After leaving his job as an investment banker in the United States, Quadir traveled back to Bangladesh, after meeting and successfully raising money from New York based investor and philanthropist Joshua Mailman, and worked for three years gaining support from various organizations including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank and the Norwegian telephone company, Telenor. He was finally
successful in forming a consortium with Telenor and Grameen Bank to establish Grameenphone. Quadir remained a shareholder of Grameenphone until 2004.
Grameenphone received a license for cellular phone operation in Bangladesh from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on November 28, 1996. Grameenphone started operations on March 26, 1997, the Independence Day in Bangladesh.
‘Telenor Article on GP Revenue’
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3. Numbering scheme
Grameenphone uses the following numbering scheme for its subscribers:
+880 17 nnnnnnnn
880 is the ISD code for Bangladesh and is needed only in case of dialing from outside Bangladesh (otherwise, it may be substituted by a 0, making the prefix 017). 17 is the prefix for Grameenphone as allocated by the government of Bangladesh. The eight-digit number nnnnnnnn is the subscriber number.
4. Products offered
Grameenphone offers subscription in two categories, Prepaid Subscription and Postpaid Subscription.
Prepaid subscriptions are sub-divided into three plans:
Smile (mobile to mobile connectivity within Bangladesh),
Smile PSTN (nationwide and international mobile and land line connectivity)
Djuice (a youth based mobile to mobile connectivity within Bangladesh).
Postpaid plan:
Xplore (nationwide and international mobile and landline connectivity)
Grameenphone also offers different value-added services including SMS, MMS, Welcome Tunes (Ringback Tones), Voice SMS, SMS Push-Pull Service, Voice Mail Service (VMS), and Fax and Data among others. Grameenphone was the first mobile operator in Bangladesh to offer EDGE services to its subscribers.
5. Other activities
5.1 Village phone
With the help of Grameenphone, Grameen Telecom operates the national Village Phone programme, alongside its own parent Grameen Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), acting as the sole provider of telecommunications services to a number of rural areas. Most Village Phone participants are women living in remote areas. Village Phone works as an owner-operated GSM payphone whereby a borrower takes a BDT 12,000 (USD 200)
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loan from Grameen Bank to subscribe to GP (Grameenphone) and is then trained on how to operate it and how to charge others to use it at a profit.
As in September 2006, there are more than 255,000 Village Phones in operation in 55,000 villages around Bangladesh. This program has been replicated also in some other countries including in Uganda and Rwanda in Africa
5.2 Community Information Centers
Community Information Center (CIC) or GPCIC is aimed at providing internet access and other communications services to rural areas. In February 2006, 26 CICs were established across the country as a pilot project. In this project, Grameenphone provides GSM/EDGE/GPRS infrastructure and technical support and other partners Grameen Telecom Corporation and Society for Economic and Basic Advancement (SEBA), are involved in selecting and training entrepreneurs to run the village centers. The computers in these centers in the pilot project are used by an average of 30 people a day, who pay a small fee to access email or Web pages.. Grameenphone also trains the entrepreneurs so that they can give people advice on how to set up an e-mail account and best make use of the Internet.
CIC project is giving up to 20 million people the chance to use the Internet and e-mail for the first time. Following a successful pilot project, Grameenphone is going to set up approximately 560 centers in communities throughout Bangladesh by the end of 2006. The centers will be located in each Upazila (sub-district) of Bangladesh. As a result, up to 15 villages containing up to 40,000 people will be within reach of each CIC.
5.3 Grameenphone Centers
A gpc at Gulshan, Dhaka.
A grameenphone center (GPC) serves as a "one stop solution" for customers, with all telecommunications products and services, under a single roof. A grameenphone center also sells phones from vendors like Nokia, Samsung, Motorola,Sagem and Benq. EDGE/GPRS modems and accessories such chargers and headphones are also sold at GPCs.
‘Mobile Phone Subscribers in Bangladesh, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission’
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As of September, 2007, there are 76 GPCs and they are strategically located at all major locations of the country is operated by Grameenphone. As of late most of the newly opened gpc's are franchised. Most of these franchised outlets are in non-metropolitan areas
Every once a while, the GPCs tie up with handset manufactures and start a nationwide marketing scheme by selling the specific vendors products at a price lower than the market's or in bundle with a grameenphone connection loaded with free minutes.
6. Criticism
6.1 Illegal VoIP operations
Grameenphone had always advertised that it is the largest taxpayer in Bangladesh. Later it emerged that they also evaded taxes in the process through clandestine illegal operations.
6.1.1 October, 2007 fines
In October, 2007 the Government of Bangladesh fined Grameenphone USD 24.5 million for illegally depriving the government of revenue by ignoring laws requiring private operators to use the state-owned BTTB land phone network for international calls by its subscribers, when they used Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to receive such calls.
6.1.2 December, 2007 office raids
It soon emerged that GP was making a bigger business out of VoIP operations than initially stated. They were providing a host of ISPs and operators services that enabled VoIP. In December 2007, Grameenphone's corporate office was raided by government agencies and documents were confiscated. This was in connection to Grameenphone providing VoIP equipment and services to an ISP, AccessTel. This fact was not disclosed by Grameenphone when it was fined just two months ago. Grameenphone representatives commented “some additional irregularities were found” regarding Grameenphone providing special services to illegal VoIP operators.
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6.1.3 January, 2008 case filed
In January 2008, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has filed a case against GP's two former CEO's and other officials for involvement in illegal VoIP business.
6.1.3 August, 2008 fined Tk 2500 Million
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has fined Grameenphone Tk 2500 Million for illegal VoIP business, the second time the country's largest mobile phone operator has been penalized for such rogue activities, the telecoms regulators announced Thursday.
6.1.5 Network Congestion
This article is missing citations or needs footnotes. Please help add inline citations to guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. (November 2008)
Grameenphone have the widest network coverage in the country. It has changed the communication structure of the country and it can be compared with communication revolution. It is the first company in the country that has brought the mobile service to the mass level. GP's network is very robust and undoubtedly the best in the country. This is because, a big number of people moves to rural side during festivals, which is very difficult to cater from any operator's perspective. As a result, people face problem during those times. But it is very difficult to ensure smooth network in rural areas considering only 10-15 days’ (out of 365 days) additional pressure derived from non-regular members (visitors) of that area. This is a worldwide problem for the Telco operators. GP has the highest number of base stations throughout the country. GP covers the most. GP's customer service is one of the cheapest among all in the country. It is a 24/7 customer service.. GP Customer Service caters highest numbers of customers everyday regardless any industry in the country.
6.1.6 During Norway visit of Muhammad Yunus
After Muhammad Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, he claimed during his visit in Norway to receive the prize that Grameen Bank had a gentlemen's agreement with Telenor where Telenor was to sell part of GrameenPhone to the bank. Telenor was not interested in fulfilling this agreement, arguing it was not juridically binding.
"GP-supplied equipment seized from house of AccessTel owner" (in English). The Daily Star. http://thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=14564
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7. Summary of Grameenphone Limited Company
Grameenphone is a GSM-based cellular operator in Bangladesh and market leader with more than 50% of the Bangladeshi market share. Grameenphone started operations on March 26, 1997. It is partly owned by Telenor (62%) and Grameen Telecom (38%). It has more than 10 million customers as of December 2006. It is also the fastest growing cellular telephone network in Bangladesh. At the end of 2005, it had about 3500 base stations around the country with plans to add about 500 in the following six months. Grameenphone's stated goal is to provide cost-effective and quality cellular services in Bangladesh.
The company has so far invested more than BDT 10,700 crore (USD 1.6 billion) to build the network infrastructure since its inception in 1997. It has invested over BDT 3,100 crore (USD 450 million) during the first three quarters of 2007 while BDT 2,100 crore (USD 310 million) was invested in 2006 alone. Grameenphone is also one the largest taxpayers in the country, having contributed nearly BDT 7000 crore in direct and indirect taxes to the Government Exchequer over the years. Of this amount, over BDT 2000 crore was paid in 2006 alone.
Grameenphone considers its employees to be one of its most important assets. GP has an extensive employee benefit scheme in place including Gratuity, Provident Fund, Group Insurance, Family Health Insurance, Transportation Facility, Day Care Centre, Children's Education Support, Higher Education Support for employees, in-house medical support and other initiatives.
GP Organogram & Management show in Appendix.
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Bibliography
Articles
Ø Telenor Article on GP Revenue
Ø Grameenphone Annual Report 2005
Ø Telenor Article on GP Employees
Ø Mobile Phone Subscribers in Bangladesh, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission
Ø Economist article, March 9,2006
Ø GSM World press release17 October 2006, About Grameenphone section
Ø http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=13349 Telegeography Article
Ø GSM Association press release
Web link
Ø ^ http://www.bauani.org/thinkings/2008/08/bdnews24-grameenphone-fined-tk-250.html
Ø http://www.grameenphone%20%20Wikipedia,%20the%20free%20encyclopedia.mht
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Appendix
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