GP\\\'s subscriber base reaches 50 million

Subscriber base of Grameenphone (GP), the largest telecom service provider, has reached 50 million, what the telephony firm termed it an 'incredible achievement'.

The local chapter of Norway- based 'Telenor group' officially made the announcement through a press conference at a city hotel Tuesday.

 "Today (Tuesday) we are celebrating our customers with this incredible milestone," said GP CEO Vivek Sood.

Mr Sood said since starting operations in Bangladesh in 1997, Grameenphone has grown exponentially over the past 17 years which has the largest network with the widest coverage in the country, reaching 99 per cent of the population.

The GP CEO said the company is pledged to provide uncompromising service to the customers. "I am happy to say that we have not wavered and still strive towards ensuring the best services for our customers; our customers remain our utmost," Mr Sood added.

Mr Sood added that, "without the whole- hearted support from all our customers, partners, regulators and other stakeholders, we could not have come this far".

He also said the company will work in sectors like education, healthcare and mobile financial services to empower its customers in the future.

During the press conference the GP CEO also referred to the company's data ambition to serve 50 million internet users on its network within the next five years.

Calling the celebration of new milestone of the customers as more than simple a celebration for Grameenphone alone, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of the firm Allan Bonke presented a list of attractive offers for GP customers "to celebrate with the company."

As part of the celebrations offer, Grameenphone 3G subscribers will enjoy double internet speeds on their mobile devices with their existing internet packages at no additional costs.

Furthermore, customers will enjoy a special limited time offer of 5 paisa per 10 second pulse within the GP network. "As the operator with the largest number of subscribers we felt that we have the most people to celebrate with us. Welcome to the biggest party ever," the CMO added.

The 1st Grameenphone subscriber and latest subscriber of the 50 million customers were both present at the event. The Grameenphone network currently has more than 8,600 base stations in operation and the company also completed its 3G network rollout as the first operator in the country.

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