Cell phone users to reach 50m in three years

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FE Report
GrameenPhone, the country's largest mobile phone operator, is expecting the country's cell phone users to reach 50 million within the next two to three years and urged the authorities to harmonise the transmission frequency allocation to keep pace with the growth of cell-phone connections.
"I expect the mobile phone customers in Bangladesh would be 45 to 50 million within the next two to three years and the GrameenPhone needs the required frequency to ensure smooth services for them," said the GrameenPhone new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Anders Jensen while talking to a group of journalists at Grameen Phone head-office Saturday.
He will join the GrameenPhone tomorrow (Monday) officially replacing outgoing CEO Erik Aas.
Currently, the number of mobile phone users in the country is around 30 million with a penetration rate of around 17 per cent annually.
GrameenPhone, which has more than 15 million customers, commands around 50 per cent of the total market share.
"There are huge opportunities and a large challenge for the operators to maintain service level both in terms of distribution and network coverage and capacity," said Anders.
He termed that the telecom sector in Bangladesh as one of the fastest growing sectors in the world.
Prior to his new assignment in Bangladesh, Anders, a Swedish, served as chief marketing officer and head of consumer marketing of Telenor in Sweden since 2005.
It is his first assignment in Asia. He has eight years of experience in the internet and telecommunications industry with Europolitan, Vodafone and Telenor mainly concentrated in Europe.
The new CEO said that he would strive to provide telecommunications service in affordable prices to the people of Bangladesh.
"I think being able to communicate is very close to human rights, it could be done at a price level very affordable," he added.
He also praised the success the GrameenPhone achieved during the three years under the leadership of Erik Aas who moved to a new telecommunications company in Indonesia ending his ten years association with the Telenor.
"Tremendous achievement has taken place in GrameenPhone in the last three years under the leadership of Erik Aas," Anders said.
Erik joined GrameenPhone as CEO in December 2004.
During the last three years, Erik said number of GrameenPhone customers jumped seven times to above 15 million from two million only.
Moreover, the network of the company covered 98 per cent of the population areas, which was only less than the half three years back.
"The call charges were also brought down to one third compared with the call charges three years back," he said.
"It is partly because of the competition and the partly due to the population involved in it," the outgoing CEO said.
During the last three years, Erik said, GrameenPhone set up 6000 service centres across the country to ensure proper service to its customers.
He also praised the people of Bangladesh for their hospitality and friendly behaviour.
He also said his local colleagues are very good, hard working, loyal to the management and high ethical standards.
Regarding his next assignment to TNS in Indonesia, a new telecommunications company in Indonesia, Erik adding: "It is my career move with big challenges ahead".
"This is a small company, my aim is to make it bigger," said Erik outgoing CEO of the GrameenPhone.