Grameenphone invests BDT 3550 crore in 2007

Grameenphone invests BDT 3550 crore in 2007

Grameenphone made fresh investments of more than BDT 3550 crore last year (2007) to further increase the capacity and coverage of its nationwide network.
This brings the total investment of Grameenphone to over BDT 11150 crore since its inception in 1997, including BDT 2150 crore invested in 2006.

"We had robust growth last year and the company is well-poised for further growth in the coming years. Grameenphone is committed to ensure a quality network, offer innovative products and services and provide committed after-sales service to its valued customers," observed Grameenphone CEO Anders Jensen.

"As such, we have continued to make large investments in the network. With more than 10,000 base stations in over 6,000 locations around the country, the Grameenphone network already covers more than 98 percent of the population," he added.

The subscriber-base increased to 16.5 million during last year, up from 10.8 million at the end of 2006. The subscriber market-share remained stable during the year. According to the figures published by the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, Grameenphone's market share was about 48 percent at the end of the year.

One of the primary reasons for the market growth was the continued fall in the average tariff rates. The average tariff rates of Grameenphone declined by 40 percent during the year. The company's annual revenue stood at BDT 5450 crore during the year.

At the same time, Grameenphone contributed over BDT 3400 crore in
direct and indirect taxes to the National Exchequer, up from BDT 2050 crore in 2006. The company contributed a total of BDT 10140 crore since it started its operation