Legalisation of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) will help growth of ICT, said noted economist Professor Muhammad Yunus.

And the VoIP can be used as an affective tool for poverty alleviation, added Yunus, also Managing Director of Grameen Bank.

He said GrameenPhone may become first Bangladeshi company to be listed on New York, Oslo stock exchanges simultaneously.

"I hope we can be able to float GrameenPhone shares soon in New York, Oslo and Dhaka," Yunus said while addressing a function organised by GrameenPhone Ltd to celebrate its one million subscriber base at a city hotel on Saturday. "It is a profit making company and it could be listed."

Post and Telecommunications Minister Aminul Hoque attended the function as the chief guest while Chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Syed Marghub Morshed, Executive Chairman of Board of Investment (BoI) Mahmudur Rahman, Chairman of GrameenPhone Khalid Shams, and Telenor Mobile Chief Excutive Officer (CEO) Arve Johansen also attended.

The function was also attended by Science, Information and Communications Technology Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan, State Minister for Youth and Sports Fazlur Rahman, senior government officials, diplomats, journalists and other dignitaries.

"This is a great occasion to celebrate. We have come a long way in a short time. When we started, we launched a dream and concept of connecting people," Yunus said.

He noted the contributions of the 32,000 village phone operators in connecting rural areas.

"We should have at least 13 million telephone subscribers considering the 130 million people in Bangladesh."

Post and Telecommunications Minister Aminul Hoque congratulated GrameenPhone for increasing tele-density in Bangladesh.

"I hope the company will continue providing quality telecommunication services to the people at an affordable price," the minister said.

GrameenPhone Chairman Khalid Shams described the hurdles the company officials witnessed during launching of the network in 1997.

GrameenPhone Managing Director Ola Ree said his company is not celebrating the one million subscriber base, rather the company is celebrating the achievement of the country's telecommunications sector.

He said GrameenPhone has established itself as a very good brand in Bangladesh and the employees feel proud of being part of it. "We are also proud of the company's contribution to the development of the country."

The one millionth subscriber of the company, Syed Nazmur Rashid Chowdhury, a businessman from Dhanmondi in Dhaka, was introduced to the audience.

Crests were presented to GrameenPhone managing director by representatives of Ericsson, Siemens, Sony Ericsson and Sema.

BoI Executive Chairman Mahmudur Rahman underlined the importance of attracting private sector foreign investment for the development of the country's infrastructure. He lauded GrameenPhone's active role in developing telecommunications sector.

BTRC Chairman Syed Marghub Morshed noted pragmatic government policies and incentives which helped in tapping substantial foreign direct investments in the telecommunications sector.

GrameenPhone Chairman Khaled Shams noted if China could add five million new cell phone subscribers each month, Bangladesh, having one-tenth of China's population, should also aim to add half-a-million subscribers per month.

"We want the government to play the role of a real facilitator and not that of a grudging co-operator," said Shams. "How long we wait for the government approval of the voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), which has been allowed in all neighbouring countries?"

Telenor Mobile CEO Arve Johansen said, "We are very proud to have GrameenPhone as an important member in the Telenor Mobile family. Many people today recognise your good work and we believe your achievement is extremely important for the development of Bangladesh."