Grameenphone shares 3000 sites with other operators

Grameenphone (GP) has reached the milestone of 3000 shared sites recently. This represents the highest number of Base Tranceiver Stations (BTS) shared by any mobile company in Bangladesh. GP started sharing sites in 2009 after BTRC allowed passive telecom infrastructure sharing, roping in Qubee as the first customer. Head of Infrastructure Business of Grameenphone, Mainur Rahman Bhuiyan said: “Since the publication of BTRC guidelines regarding infrastructure sharing in 2008, around 8000 sites have been shared among operators, which is more than 50% of the total number of BTS established during that period.” Regarding news that BTRC is going to issue licences for mobile tower management and mobile operators who are ineligible to apply for licenses, Grameenphone CEO, Michael Foley said: “Mobile operators should be allowed to maintain their existing rights to build, operate, maintain and share towers. Tower licensees can co-exist, so that a competitive business environment prevails in the industry.”