Post and Telecommunications Minister Md Aminul Hoque inaugurated the 24th GSM Asia Pacific (GSMAP) conference at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel as chief guest.

Around 130 delegates, mostly GSM operators and vendors representing 35 countries in Asia Pacific region are participating in the two-day meet.

Speaking at the inaugural session, the minister said Bangladesh will be able to develop a pool of skilled human resources if opportunity from the ongoing boom in the telecoms sector is utilised. "This, in turn, will give us an opportunity to become a supplier of skilled telecoms experts to other parts of the world."

The minister said tele-density is an indicator of the economic condition of a country. Bangladesh's tele-density, which was around 2 percent just in the beginning of the new millennium and one of the lowest in the world, has reached around 10 percent, he added.

There are now 12 million mobile phone subscribers of five mobile phone companies, he said, adding that, "We hope there will be an addition 12 million mobile users by the end of next year and tele-density would rise 20 percent."

GSMAP Chairman Simon Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of Banglalink Lars P. Reichelt, and GSMAP Deputy Chairman Mehboob Chowdhury also spoke at the inaugural session. Banglalink is hosting the two-day conference.

The GSM Association is the global trade association representing more than 679 GSM mobile phone operators across 210 countries. In addition, more than 150 manufacturers and suppliers support the association's initiatives as key partners.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Reichelt termed Bangladesh is one of the fastest growing markets, highlighting the contribution of telecoms sector to the country's economic growth.

Simon Zhang stressed the need for low-cost handsets and services, noting it is important to reach the people who still do not have mobile phone yet.

GSMAP members meet twice every year to discuss common issues, exchange views and ideas and share best practices.

The association's members serve more than 1.6 billion customers -- 78 percent of the world's mobile phone users. Asia Pacific apart, Africa, Western Europe, Middle East and Gulf, USA, and Eastern Europe are other regions of the GSM Association.