Editorial
Grameen Phone's achievement
A landmark in cellular telecommunication
Grameen Phone (GP) subscribers have now reached a phenomenal level of 10 million, and that too within only ten years of their starting operation. We are happy to see the growth and dynamism of GP and its investment in Bangladesh. It is an incredible achievement taken in the context of the impact on society and culture, not to speak of the tremendous influence on our economy. The number of users of mobile phones has made a quantum jump in Bangladesh and has revolutionized our lives. And for this all the mobile telephone operators in Bangladesh deserve our thanks. Mobile telephone is no longer a tool for the privileged but a necessary implement for all those seeking to better their lot, at all levels throughout the country. We are also appreciative of the consensus reached by the present shareholders of GP to offload its shares through the Dhaka Stock Exchange. We shall be happy to see it implemented soon and would like the other operators to follow suit. In the meantime we shall also recommend that all mobile operators consider reducing their current call rate charges that are very exorbitant. In this context we would like to cite the example of our neighbour India. Telecommunication in today's world is an important tool for development all over the world more so for a third world country like Bangladesh. We believe the government too has to play its role in right perspective. BTTB and the telecommunication regulatory body has to be more proactive and play a more pragmatic role for further development of the sector by formulating more subscriber friendly regulations. The fact that Bangladesh has the potential of being one of the top mobile phone growth markets in the Asia Pacific Region reaching a total 50 million subscribers must be taken note of by the government. Although BTTB in recent times, forced by market conditions of late, has issued licenses for providing landlines to a few private organizations, there are still a number of stumbling blocks that are hindering the steady growth of our overall telecommunication networking. While the private telephone operators are marching ahead, there is no reason why BTTB should remain behind?
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