Grameenphone CEO Rajeev Sethi yesterday said all 10,000 base stations of the cellphone operator are going to support 3G services alongside 2Gs across the country by June this year.
The Chief Executive Officer of the leading mobile phone operator came up with the disclosure while speaking at a programme at The Westin Dhaka in presence of Telenor group CEO Sigve Brekke.
Grameenphone has in total over 5,500 stations which have already been converted to 3G since the service was introduced in late 2013.
Highlighting the network growth in 2015, Rajeev said 3,401 3G base stations were added to the network in 2015, leading the company’s total 3G sites across Bangladesh to 5,831 at the end of the year.
“We have made a significant investment in 2015 while nearly 1,700 more 3G sites will be added by the end of the first quarter of 2016,” said Rajeev.
“The addition will reach 3G services to nearly 90% of GP subscriber base at that time,” he added.
Speaking at the announcement programme, Telenor Group CEO Sigve Brekke said Bangladesh would be well-known to the world for its growth of internet while every individual will use internet here.
He pointed out that Grameenphone is on a transformation journey from a voice communications company to a digital service provider.
“As part of this transformation, we have not only seen significant network investments but also, with active support from Telenor, introduction of new digital content and rich e-services to education, agriculture and health demonstrating efficiency and progress among user beneficiaries.”
GP had announced its alignment with the Group’s digital ambition to take internet for all after the introduction of 3G in Bangladesh in 2013.
Since then GP quantified its ambition to acquire 50 million data customers on the GP network by 2019. As of the third quarter, there are more than 15.2 million data users on the GP network.
Suggesting that the operator’s network expansion has been all inclusive, Rajeev said the recent introduction of 3G services to the newly acquired Dohogram and Garati into Bangladesh territory among others are small but significant in the company’s internet for all ambition.
The CEO said the company’s network ambition was not just about “reach” but also about customer experience on GP’s superior network.
“We had invested a lot from the onset of 3G services in 2013. This initial investment has allowed us to continue to lead the industry with HD Voice and Digital Clarity and double speed HSPA for excellent user experience in voice and data services,” said Rajeev.
The market leader has run an aggressive 3G roll-out plan and had covered all 64 districts in six months, much sooner than the 36-month conditionality stipulated in the 3G licence agreement by the regulator.
Moreover, GP 3G network has already been expanded across 481 upazilas in the country. The network expansion has not only added new 3G sites and conversion of thousands of 2G sites to 3Gs, but also upgraded existing 2Gs for general customers.