S Grameenphone Leaps Toward Internet for All with 3G Launch

Telenor’s Grameenphone leaps toward internet for all with 3G launch

With an ambition of providing internet for all, Grameenphone in Bangladesh has started offering 3G services to customers in the central parts of the city of Dhaka. The launch marks the beginning of a nationwide network roll-out, with the ambition of covering all of the country's 64 regional cities by end of Q1, 2014.

With its 44 million customers, Grameenphone is the largest telecom operator in Bangladesh. The company is majority-owned by Telenor Group and has a strong legacy of providing mobile services to all parts of the country. The launch of commercial 3G services follows the recent acquisition of 10 MHz spectrum in the 2100 MHz-band, which will enable the roll out of a nationwide network with enhanced capacity and instant mobile internet access for all customers. "This marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Grameenphone. For the past 16 years, Telenor Group has been working to deliver mobile connectivity to consumers across Bangladesh. Our success to date has been built on the idea that mobile communication is not a luxury good for the few, but for everyone. With 3G, we'll have the opportunity to go into the next generation of mobile services, and deliver on our ambition of providing internet for all," said Sigve Brekke, Executive Vice President and Head of Telenor Group’s Asian Operations. Currently, approximately 110 million people in Bangladesh have mobile connections. Grameenphone's number of data subscribers rose 60 per cent over the past year, spurred by an increase in smartphone usage. Within the next few weeks other areas of Dhaka and Chittagong along with Gazipur and Narayangonj will be covered by Grameenphone' s 3G network. Contact: Tor Odland VP Communications Telenor Group Region Asia Mobile: +66 82 479 4242

Telenor Group is one of the world's major mobile operators. We keep our customers connected in our markets across Scandinavia and Asia. Our more than 30,000 employees are committed to responsible business conduct and being our customers' favourite partner in digital life. Connecting the world has been Telenor's domain for more than 160 years, and we are driven by a singular vision: to empower societies.