Grameenphone Ltd on Sunday publicly launched its first Corporate Social Responsibility Report at a simple ceremony organized at a local hotel in the city.The report was unveiled by Oddvar Hesjedal, Chief Executive Officer of Grameenphone Ltd in presence of senior representatives from both the public and private sectors.The objective of the publication was to create better understanding among the key stakeholder groups about Grameenphone's good corporate governance practices and its contribution to the socio-economic development of the country. As a responsible and sustainable business, Grameenphone's socio economic responsibilities extend beyond its financial performance. Grameenphone's investment strategies are thought through beyond mere balance sheets to act as a catalyst for prosperity and innovation that can spur economic growth for the country.In his presentation Grameenphone CEO, Oddvar Hesjedal, said that the company was geared to invest beyond business through its CSR initiatives and committed to work hand in hand with the government of Bangladesh and other development agencies in meeting the Millennium Development Goals of the country.Grameenphone recognizes the enormous potential for social and economic benefits to Bangladesh through telecommunication. It has a role to play in ensuring that these benefits are accessible to as many sections of the society as possible. This belief is crystallized as one of the key priorities in Grameenphone's CSR strategy.While the report is focused on the most significant issues and goals, through the report, Grameenphone would like to stress that transparency and corporate responsibility are embedded in every single aspect of the company's operations i.e. business, people, products, environment etc.
Grameenphone to continue Safe Motherhood, Infant Care .
Grameenphone Ltd. renewed the contract with Pathfinder International to provide free yet quality safe motherhood and infant care services to poor mothers and their infants throughout the country. An agreement was signed in this regard on 7th December, 2008. This agreement is a continuation of the partnership between the two organizations prevailing since May 2007.Under the agreement, Grameenphone, in partnership with Pathfinder International and USAID's network of Smiling Sun clinics in 61 districts, will help to provide free professional primary healthcare services through 318 static clinics, about 8000 satellite clinics and around 6000 community-based health-workers across the country. Grameenphone also aims to assist in necessary infrastructure development and extension of basic healthcare services, especially in the hard-to-reach and remote areas. Syed Yamin Bakht, Director, Public Relations, Grameenphone, and Dr. Shabnam Shahnaz, Country Representative, Pathfinder International, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations.Shuvashish Priya Barua, Head of CSR, Grameenphone, Juan Carlos Negrette, Chief of Party, Smiling Sun Franchise Program (SSFP), and other officials of Grameenphone and Pathfinder International were also present on the occasion.So far, a total of 940,251 economically-disadvantaged mothers and their infants received free healthcare service under the project. The Patiya and Bhola clinics, of FDSR and Swanirvar Bangladesh respectively, have been upgraded to Emergency Obstetric Care centers. In addition, five motorized vans have been provided to facilitate better patient referrals. Two clinic-on-wheels have been given to complement the existing service touch-points and enhance the accessibility of services in remote areas. 48 new community-based health workers (Depot Holders-DH) have also been recruited to generate awareness and increase service demand among the recipients.In Bangladesh, only 13% women get skilled attendants at delivery. The country has one of the highest maternal mortality rates (320 per 100,000) and infant mortality rates (52 per 1,000) in Asia. Henceforth, reducing infant mortality and improving maternal health have been identified as two of the eight millennium development goals.Through the Safe Motherhood and Infant Care Project Grameenphone aims to address the healthcare need of the less privileged members of the society, deprived of fundamental healthcare services as well as to provide continuing assistance to the Bangladesh Government and development agencies to make every life count and thus contribute to the shared dream of a thriving nation.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Grameenphone plans for $65 mln IPO
Bangladeshi mobile operator Grameenphone has filed its final application for an initial public offering (IPO) of US$65 million. The company expects the subscription period for the IPO to be late January or early February next year.
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In July, Grameenphone, which is 62%-owned by Norwegian telecom operator Telenor said it planed to raise up to US$300 million in share sales on the domestic stock exchanges. This was later cut to US$125 million - and now has ended up with the final amount of just US$65 million.
"We are proud of our achievement in having reached this milestone. We remain committed to contributing to the development of the capital markets of Bangladesh and look forward to a successful completion of the largest IPO in the country" said Oddvar Hesjedal, CEO of Grameenphone.
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In July, Grameenphone, which is 62%-owned by Norwegian telecom operator Telenor said it planed to raise up to US$300 million in share sales on the domestic stock exchanges. This was later cut to US$125 million - and now has ended up with the final amount of just US$65 million.
"We are proud of our achievement in having reached this milestone. We remain committed to contributing to the development of the capital markets of Bangladesh and look forward to a successful completion of the largest IPO in the country" said Oddvar Hesjedal, CEO of Grameenphone.
Bangladesh's top mobile phone carrier, Grameenphone controlled by Norway's Telenor (TEL.OL: Quote, Profile, Research), on Thursday filed its final application for an initial public offering (IPO) of $65 million, the country's biggest ever IPO.
The price for the IPO has been proposed at 7.00 taka, subject to Securities and Exchange Commission approval, Grameenphone said.
Last month, Grameenphone cut a planned share sale to $125 million from $300 million due to the sharp downturn in global markets. The revised plan includes a $75 million IPO and $50 million pre-IPO placement.
In the pre-IPO placement, Grameenphone raised a total $60 million at 7.4 taka per share due to strong demand from more than 50 local investors.
Initially the company had hoped to raise $150 million through a private placement and a similar amount through a subsequent domestic initial public offering.
"We are proud of our achievement in having reached this milestone. We remain committed to contributing to the development of the capital markets of Bangladesh and look forward to a successful completion of the largest IPO in the country," said Oddvar Hesjedal, Grameenphone's chief executive.
Citigroup (C.N: Quote, Profile, Research) is underwriting the share sale.
Grameenphone was founded in 1996 by Norwegian telecoms group Telenor, the second-largest foreign operator in Asia, and Grameen Bank, which was launched by microfinance pioneer and Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.
At end-October, Grameenphone had 20.8 million subscribers, around 48 percent of the nation's total and well ahead of Egyptian Orascom Telecom's ORTE.CA Banglalink and Telekom Malaysia's (TLMM.KL: Quote, Profile, Research) Aktel.
The price for the IPO has been proposed at 7.00 taka, subject to Securities and Exchange Commission approval, Grameenphone said.
Last month, Grameenphone cut a planned share sale to $125 million from $300 million due to the sharp downturn in global markets. The revised plan includes a $75 million IPO and $50 million pre-IPO placement.
In the pre-IPO placement, Grameenphone raised a total $60 million at 7.4 taka per share due to strong demand from more than 50 local investors.
Initially the company had hoped to raise $150 million through a private placement and a similar amount through a subsequent domestic initial public offering.
"We are proud of our achievement in having reached this milestone. We remain committed to contributing to the development of the capital markets of Bangladesh and look forward to a successful completion of the largest IPO in the country," said Oddvar Hesjedal, Grameenphone's chief executive.
Citigroup (C.N: Quote, Profile, Research) is underwriting the share sale.
Grameenphone was founded in 1996 by Norwegian telecoms group Telenor, the second-largest foreign operator in Asia, and Grameen Bank, which was launched by microfinance pioneer and Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.
At end-October, Grameenphone had 20.8 million subscribers, around 48 percent of the nation's total and well ahead of Egyptian Orascom Telecom's ORTE.CA Banglalink and Telekom Malaysia's (TLMM.KL: Quote, Profile, Research) Aktel.
Analysts predict the number of subscribers in the country could top 70 million by 2011, nearly half its population of more than 140 million.
($1 = 68.88 taka)
($1 = 68.88 taka)
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Service offered by grameen phone
Grameenphone offers subscription in two categories, Prepaid Subscription and Postpaid Subscription.
Prepaid subscriptions are sub-divided into three plans:
smile (mobile to mobile connectivity within Bangladesh),
smile PSTN (nationwide and international mobile and land line connectivity)
djuice (a youth based mobile to mobile connectivity within Bangladesh).
Postpaid plan:
xplore (nationwide and international mobile and landline connectivity)
Grameenphone also offers different value-added services including SMS, MMS, Welcome Tunes (Ringback Tones), Voice SMS, SMS Push-Pull Service, Voice Mail Service (VMS), and Fax and Data among others. Grameenphone was the first mobile operator in Bangladesh to offer EDGE services to its subscribers.
Other activities
Village phone
With the help of Grameenphone, Grameen Telecom operates the national Village Phone programme, alongside its own parent Grameen Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), acting as the sole provider of telecommunications services to a number of rural areas. Most Village Phone participants are women living in remote areas. Village Phone works as an owner-operated GSM payphone whereby a borrower takes a BDT 12,000 (USD 200) loan from Grameen Bank to subscribe to GP (Grameenphone) and is then trained on how to operate it and how to charge others to use it at a profit. As in September 2006, there are more than 255,000 Village Phones in operation in 55,000 villages around Bangladesh. This program has been replicated also in some other countries including in Uganda and Rwanda in Africa.[5]
A typical Grameenphone tower
Community Information Centers
Community Information Center (CIC) or GPCIC is aimed at providing internet access and other communications services to rural areas. In February 2006, 26 CICs were established across the country as a pilot project.[6] In this project, Grameenphone provides GSM/EDGE/GPRS infrastructure and technical support and other partners Grameen Telecom Corporation and Society for Economic and Basic Advancement (SEBA), are involved in selecting and training entrepreneurs to run the village centers. The computers in these centers in the pilot project are used by an average of 30 people a day, who pay a small fee to access email or Web pages.[7] These CICs are used for a wide variety of business and personal purposes, from accessing health and agricultural information to using government services to video conferencing with relatives overseas. Grameenphone also trains the entrepreneurs so that they can give people advice on how to set up an e-mail account and best make use of the Internet.
CIC project is giving up to 20 million people the chance to use the Internet and e-mail for the first time. Following a successful pilot project, Grameenphone is going to set up approximately 560 centers in communities throughout Bangladesh by the end of 2006. The centers will be located in each Upazila (sub-district) of Bangladesh. As a result, up to 15 villages containing up to 40,000 people will be within reach of each CIC. In this information center, there will be personal computers connected to Grameenphone's existing GSM mobile network, which has been upgraded with EDGE technology to offer data transfer speeds of up to 16 kilobytes per second.[8]
Grameenphone Centers
A gpc at Gulshan, Dhaka.
A franchised gpc at Tejgaon, Dhaka.A grameenphone center (GPC) serves as a "one stop solution" for customers, with all telecommunications products and services, under a single roof. A grameenphone center also sells phones from vendors like Nokia, Samsung, Motorola,Sagem and Benq. EDGE/GPRS modems and accessories such chargers and headphones are also sold at GPCs.
As of September, 2007, there are 76[9] GPCs and they are strategically located at all major locations of the country is operated by Grameenphone. As of late most of the newly opened gpc's are franchised. Most of these franchised outlets are in non-metropolitan areas.
The GPCs also provide the flexiload service without charging extra for small denominations unlike many retailers in the country. Thus making the gpc's and ideal place for many for such a service.
Every once a while, the GPCs tie up with handset manufactures and start a nationwide marketing scheme by selling the specific vendors products at a price lower than the market's or in bundle with a grameenphone connection loaded with free minutes.
Prepaid subscriptions are sub-divided into three plans:
smile (mobile to mobile connectivity within Bangladesh),
smile PSTN (nationwide and international mobile and land line connectivity)
djuice (a youth based mobile to mobile connectivity within Bangladesh).
Postpaid plan:
xplore (nationwide and international mobile and landline connectivity)
Grameenphone also offers different value-added services including SMS, MMS, Welcome Tunes (Ringback Tones), Voice SMS, SMS Push-Pull Service, Voice Mail Service (VMS), and Fax and Data among others. Grameenphone was the first mobile operator in Bangladesh to offer EDGE services to its subscribers.
Other activities
Village phone
With the help of Grameenphone, Grameen Telecom operates the national Village Phone programme, alongside its own parent Grameen Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), acting as the sole provider of telecommunications services to a number of rural areas. Most Village Phone participants are women living in remote areas. Village Phone works as an owner-operated GSM payphone whereby a borrower takes a BDT 12,000 (USD 200) loan from Grameen Bank to subscribe to GP (Grameenphone) and is then trained on how to operate it and how to charge others to use it at a profit. As in September 2006, there are more than 255,000 Village Phones in operation in 55,000 villages around Bangladesh. This program has been replicated also in some other countries including in Uganda and Rwanda in Africa.[5]
A typical Grameenphone tower
Community Information Centers
Community Information Center (CIC) or GPCIC is aimed at providing internet access and other communications services to rural areas. In February 2006, 26 CICs were established across the country as a pilot project.[6] In this project, Grameenphone provides GSM/EDGE/GPRS infrastructure and technical support and other partners Grameen Telecom Corporation and Society for Economic and Basic Advancement (SEBA), are involved in selecting and training entrepreneurs to run the village centers. The computers in these centers in the pilot project are used by an average of 30 people a day, who pay a small fee to access email or Web pages.[7] These CICs are used for a wide variety of business and personal purposes, from accessing health and agricultural information to using government services to video conferencing with relatives overseas. Grameenphone also trains the entrepreneurs so that they can give people advice on how to set up an e-mail account and best make use of the Internet.
CIC project is giving up to 20 million people the chance to use the Internet and e-mail for the first time. Following a successful pilot project, Grameenphone is going to set up approximately 560 centers in communities throughout Bangladesh by the end of 2006. The centers will be located in each Upazila (sub-district) of Bangladesh. As a result, up to 15 villages containing up to 40,000 people will be within reach of each CIC. In this information center, there will be personal computers connected to Grameenphone's existing GSM mobile network, which has been upgraded with EDGE technology to offer data transfer speeds of up to 16 kilobytes per second.[8]
Grameenphone Centers
A gpc at Gulshan, Dhaka.
A franchised gpc at Tejgaon, Dhaka.A grameenphone center (GPC) serves as a "one stop solution" for customers, with all telecommunications products and services, under a single roof. A grameenphone center also sells phones from vendors like Nokia, Samsung, Motorola,Sagem and Benq. EDGE/GPRS modems and accessories such chargers and headphones are also sold at GPCs.
As of September, 2007, there are 76[9] GPCs and they are strategically located at all major locations of the country is operated by Grameenphone. As of late most of the newly opened gpc's are franchised. Most of these franchised outlets are in non-metropolitan areas.
The GPCs also provide the flexiload service without charging extra for small denominations unlike many retailers in the country. Thus making the gpc's and ideal place for many for such a service.
Every once a while, the GPCs tie up with handset manufactures and start a nationwide marketing scheme by selling the specific vendors products at a price lower than the market's or in bundle with a grameenphone connection loaded with free minutes.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
About Grameen :: Grameen Phone
Grameenphone is the leading cellular telecommunication service provider in Bangladesh with more than 10 million subscribers as of November 2006. Grameenphone got cellular operation license in Bangladesh by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and started its service on March 26, 1997. Less than 10 years of operation, it achieved the goal of 10 million subscribers. As of November, 2006, there are about 15 million telephone users in the country, of which, a little over one million are fixed-phone users and the rest mobile phone subscribers.
Presently, there are about 30 million telephone users in the country, of which, a little over one million are fixed-phone users and the rest mobile phone subscribers.
Starting its operations on March 26, 1997, the Independence Day of Bangladesh, Grameenphone has come a long way. It is a joint venture enterprise between Telenor (62%), the largest telecommunications service provider in Norway with mobile phone operations in 12 other countries, and Grameen Telecom Corporation (38%), a non-profit sister concern of the internationally acclaimed micro-credit pioneer Grameen Bank.
Over the years, Grameenphone has always been a pioneer in introducing new products and services in the local market. GP was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh when it launched its services in March 1997.The technological know-how and managerial expertise of Telenor has been instrumental in setting up such an international standard mobile phone operation in Bangladesh. Being one of the pioneers in developing the GSM service in Europe, Telenor has also helped to transfer this knowledge to the local employees over the years.
Over the years, Grameenphone has always been a pioneer in introducing new products and services in the local market. GP was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh when it launched its services in March 1997.The technological know-how and managerial expertise of Telenor has been instrumental in setting up such an international standard mobile phone operation in Bangladesh. Being one of the pioneers in developing the GSM service in Europe, Telenor has also helped to transfer this knowledge to the local employees over the years.
Presently, there are about 30 million telephone users in the country, of which, a little over one million are fixed-phone users and the rest mobile phone subscribers.
Starting its operations on March 26, 1997, the Independence Day of Bangladesh, Grameenphone has come a long way. It is a joint venture enterprise between Telenor (62%), the largest telecommunications service provider in Norway with mobile phone operations in 12 other countries, and Grameen Telecom Corporation (38%), a non-profit sister concern of the internationally acclaimed micro-credit pioneer Grameen Bank.
Over the years, Grameenphone has always been a pioneer in introducing new products and services in the local market. GP was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh when it launched its services in March 1997.The technological know-how and managerial expertise of Telenor has been instrumental in setting up such an international standard mobile phone operation in Bangladesh. Being one of the pioneers in developing the GSM service in Europe, Telenor has also helped to transfer this knowledge to the local employees over the years.
Over the years, Grameenphone has always been a pioneer in introducing new products and services in the local market. GP was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh when it launched its services in March 1997.The technological know-how and managerial expertise of Telenor has been instrumental in setting up such an international standard mobile phone operation in Bangladesh. Being one of the pioneers in developing the GSM service in Europe, Telenor has also helped to transfer this knowledge to the local employees over the years.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Iqbal Quadir - Father of Grameen Phone
The idea of providing wider mobile phone access to rural areas was originally conceived by Iqbal Quadir, who is currently the founder and director of the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT.[5] He was inspired by the Grameen Bank microcredit model and envisioned a business model where a cell phone can serve as a source of income. After leaving his job as an investment banker in the United States, Quadir traveled back to Bangladesh, after meeting and successfully raising money from New York based investor and philanthropist Joshua Mailman, and worked for three years gaining support from various organizations including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank and the Norwegian telephone company, Telenor.[6] He was finally successful in forming a consortium with Telenor and Grameen Bank to establish Grameenphone. Quadir remained a shareholder of Grameenphone until 2004.
Grameenphone received a license for cellular phone operation in Bangladesh from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on November 28, 1996. Grameenphone started operations on March 26, 1997, the Independence Day in Bangladesh.
Grameenphone originally offered a mobile-to-mobile connectivity (widely known as GP-GP connection), which created a lot of enthusiasm among the users. It became the first operator to reach the million subscriber milestone as well as ten million subscriber milestone in Bangladesh.
Grameenphone received a license for cellular phone operation in Bangladesh from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on November 28, 1996. Grameenphone started operations on March 26, 1997, the Independence Day in Bangladesh.
Grameenphone originally offered a mobile-to-mobile connectivity (widely known as GP-GP connection), which created a lot of enthusiasm among the users. It became the first operator to reach the million subscriber milestone as well as ten million subscriber milestone in Bangladesh.
Iqbal Z. Quadir (Bengali: ইকবাল জেড. কাদীর) (born August 13, 1958 in Jessore, Bangladesh), founder of Gonofone and GrameenPhone, is currently the Founder and Director of the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the founding co-editor of Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization, a journal published by MIT Press.
Biography
[edit] Early years
Quadir was born in Jessore, Bangladesh and moved to the United States in 1976 and later became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He passed his secondary and higher secondary from Jhenidah Cadet College, Bangladesh. He received a B.S. with honors from Swarthmore College (1981), an M.A. (1983) and an M.B.A. (1987) from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania[1].
[edit] Finance, Development, and Entrepreneurial Success
Quadir served as a consultant to the World Bank in Washington, D.C., (1983–1985), an associate at Coopers & Lybrand (1987–1989), an associate of Security Pacific Merchant Bank (1989–1991), vice president of Atrium Capital Corporation (1991–1993), and founded GrameenPhone in Bangladesh during 1993-1999. He served in the management and on the Board of GrameenPhone during 1996-1999.
Quadir’s vision, which was deemed radical at the time, was to create universal access to telephone service in Bangladesh and to increase self-employment opportunities for its rural poor. In 1993, Quadir started a New York-based company named Gonofone (Bengali for “phones for the masses”), which later became the launch-pad for GrameenPhone. Currently the largest telephone company in Bangladesh with nearly sixteen million subscribers, GrameenPhone provides telephone access to more than 100 million rural people living in 60,000 villages and generates revenues close to $1 billion annually. With infrastructure investments of more than $1 billion, GrameenPhone is providing cellular coverage throughout Bangladesh.
Quadir's vision of a large-scale commercial project led him to organize a global consortium involving Telenor, Norway’s leading telecommunications company; an affiliate of micro-credit pioneer Grameen Bank in Bangladesh (winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize); Marubeni Corp. in Japan; Asian Development Bank in the Philippines; Commonwealth Development Corp. in the United Kingdom; and International Finance Corp. and Gonofone in the United States. He attracted these investors by complementing his vision of connecting all of Bangladesh with a practical distribution scheme whereby village entrepreneurs, backed by micro-loans, could retail telephone services to their surrounding communities. In fact, Quadir coined the phrase ‘connectivity is productivity’ to explain the unique impact of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), particularly mobile telephones, in improving economic efficiency. [1][2][3]
GrameenPhone’s success has been lauded as a model for a novel approach to improving economic opportunity and connectivity and empowering citizens in poor countries, through profitable investments in technology. According to Economist Jeffrey Sachs GrameenPhone ‘opened the world’s eyes to expanding the use of modern telecommunications technologies in the world’s poorest places.’ [4]
From 2001-2005, Quadir served as a fellow at the Harvard's Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, and at the Center for Business Innovation at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (now Capgemini). As a lecturer, he taught graduate-level courses on the effects of technology in developing countries at the John F. Kennedy School at Harvard University. Quadir subsequently moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where in 2007 he founded the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship.
Quadir coined the phrase invisible leg to describe how technological innovations change economies in terms of the distribution of economic and political influence.[5] [6]
[edit] Current Projects
In 2004, he founded, with his siblings, the Anwarul Quadir Foundation to promote innovations for Bangladesh. In 2006, the foundation established a $25,000 global essay competition, the Quadir Prize, through the Center for International Development at Harvard University. In October 2007, the foundation made its first award to two recipients [7].
Quadir founded Emergence BioEnergy, Inc., as an effort to apply his development approach to electricity production in Bangladesh, where 70 percent of the population does not have access to the national electricity grid. This and other current projects (including removing arsenic from water) were featured in an article entitled ‘Power to the people’ in the March 9, 2006 issue of The Economist. In 2007, Emergence BioEnergy won a Wall Street Journal Asian Innovation Award.
In September 2007, Legatum, a Dubai-based private investment firm, committed $50 million to the creation of a new Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology led by Quadir [8]. The goal of the Legatum Center is the promotion of bottom-up entrepreneurship in developing countries.
[edit] Recognition
Quadir's work has been recognized by leaders and organizations worldwide, with invitations to speak at many forums, including the World Bank, United Nations, World Economic Forum, and Aspen Institute. In 1999, Quadir was selected Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum based in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2006, he became the 12th recipient of the prestigious Science, Education and Economic Development (SEED) Award from the Rotary Club of Metropolitan Dhaka, for initiating universal telephone coverage to Bangladesh. He appeared on CNN and PBS and was profiled in feature articles in the Harvard Business Review (Bottom-Up Economics, Aug 2003, & Breakthrough Ideas for 2004, Feb 2004), Financial Times, The Economist, and The New York Times, and in several books. In Spring 2007, Wharton Alumni Magazine selected Quadir for its list of 125 Influential People and Ideas.
The 2007 book You Can Hear Me Now: How Microloans and Cell Phones are Connecting the Worlds Poor To the Global Economy by Nicholas P. Sullivan showcases Quadir’s innovative work in Bangladesh.
[References
^ Friedman, Thomas L. The Lexus and the Olive Tree. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2000. Page 360.
^ Quadir, Iqbal Z. ‘For the poor, connectivity means economic opportunity’ in The Wireless Internet Opportunity for Developing Countries by Wireless Internet Institute, United Nations. 2003. Page 27.
^ He's Got Connections. Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs. GetItStarted. Fall 2004.
^ Sachs, Jeffrey. The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. New York: Penguin. 2005. Page 264.
^ Quadir, Iqbal Z. ‘The Bottleneck Is At the Top of the Bottle.’ Fletcher Forum of World Affairs Vol. 26(2) Summer/Fall 2002. Page 10.
^ Power to the people. March 2006. The Economist. Page 37.
^ KSG, Quadir award prize for innovations in Bangladesh, Harvard University Gazette website.
^ Can the Cellphone Help End Global Poverty?, New York Times website.
[edit] Early years
Quadir was born in Jessore, Bangladesh and moved to the United States in 1976 and later became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He passed his secondary and higher secondary from Jhenidah Cadet College, Bangladesh. He received a B.S. with honors from Swarthmore College (1981), an M.A. (1983) and an M.B.A. (1987) from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania[1].
[edit] Finance, Development, and Entrepreneurial Success
Quadir served as a consultant to the World Bank in Washington, D.C., (1983–1985), an associate at Coopers & Lybrand (1987–1989), an associate of Security Pacific Merchant Bank (1989–1991), vice president of Atrium Capital Corporation (1991–1993), and founded GrameenPhone in Bangladesh during 1993-1999. He served in the management and on the Board of GrameenPhone during 1996-1999.
Quadir’s vision, which was deemed radical at the time, was to create universal access to telephone service in Bangladesh and to increase self-employment opportunities for its rural poor. In 1993, Quadir started a New York-based company named Gonofone (Bengali for “phones for the masses”), which later became the launch-pad for GrameenPhone. Currently the largest telephone company in Bangladesh with nearly sixteen million subscribers, GrameenPhone provides telephone access to more than 100 million rural people living in 60,000 villages and generates revenues close to $1 billion annually. With infrastructure investments of more than $1 billion, GrameenPhone is providing cellular coverage throughout Bangladesh.
Quadir's vision of a large-scale commercial project led him to organize a global consortium involving Telenor, Norway’s leading telecommunications company; an affiliate of micro-credit pioneer Grameen Bank in Bangladesh (winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize); Marubeni Corp. in Japan; Asian Development Bank in the Philippines; Commonwealth Development Corp. in the United Kingdom; and International Finance Corp. and Gonofone in the United States. He attracted these investors by complementing his vision of connecting all of Bangladesh with a practical distribution scheme whereby village entrepreneurs, backed by micro-loans, could retail telephone services to their surrounding communities. In fact, Quadir coined the phrase ‘connectivity is productivity’ to explain the unique impact of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), particularly mobile telephones, in improving economic efficiency. [1][2][3]
GrameenPhone’s success has been lauded as a model for a novel approach to improving economic opportunity and connectivity and empowering citizens in poor countries, through profitable investments in technology. According to Economist Jeffrey Sachs GrameenPhone ‘opened the world’s eyes to expanding the use of modern telecommunications technologies in the world’s poorest places.’ [4]
From 2001-2005, Quadir served as a fellow at the Harvard's Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, and at the Center for Business Innovation at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (now Capgemini). As a lecturer, he taught graduate-level courses on the effects of technology in developing countries at the John F. Kennedy School at Harvard University. Quadir subsequently moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where in 2007 he founded the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship.
Quadir coined the phrase invisible leg to describe how technological innovations change economies in terms of the distribution of economic and political influence.[5] [6]
[edit] Current Projects
In 2004, he founded, with his siblings, the Anwarul Quadir Foundation to promote innovations for Bangladesh. In 2006, the foundation established a $25,000 global essay competition, the Quadir Prize, through the Center for International Development at Harvard University. In October 2007, the foundation made its first award to two recipients [7].
Quadir founded Emergence BioEnergy, Inc., as an effort to apply his development approach to electricity production in Bangladesh, where 70 percent of the population does not have access to the national electricity grid. This and other current projects (including removing arsenic from water) were featured in an article entitled ‘Power to the people’ in the March 9, 2006 issue of The Economist. In 2007, Emergence BioEnergy won a Wall Street Journal Asian Innovation Award.
In September 2007, Legatum, a Dubai-based private investment firm, committed $50 million to the creation of a new Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology led by Quadir [8]. The goal of the Legatum Center is the promotion of bottom-up entrepreneurship in developing countries.
[edit] Recognition
Quadir's work has been recognized by leaders and organizations worldwide, with invitations to speak at many forums, including the World Bank, United Nations, World Economic Forum, and Aspen Institute. In 1999, Quadir was selected Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum based in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2006, he became the 12th recipient of the prestigious Science, Education and Economic Development (SEED) Award from the Rotary Club of Metropolitan Dhaka, for initiating universal telephone coverage to Bangladesh. He appeared on CNN and PBS and was profiled in feature articles in the Harvard Business Review (Bottom-Up Economics, Aug 2003, & Breakthrough Ideas for 2004, Feb 2004), Financial Times, The Economist, and The New York Times, and in several books. In Spring 2007, Wharton Alumni Magazine selected Quadir for its list of 125 Influential People and Ideas.
The 2007 book You Can Hear Me Now: How Microloans and Cell Phones are Connecting the Worlds Poor To the Global Economy by Nicholas P. Sullivan showcases Quadir’s innovative work in Bangladesh.
[References
^ Friedman, Thomas L. The Lexus and the Olive Tree. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2000. Page 360.
^ Quadir, Iqbal Z. ‘For the poor, connectivity means economic opportunity’ in The Wireless Internet Opportunity for Developing Countries by Wireless Internet Institute, United Nations. 2003. Page 27.
^ He's Got Connections. Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs. GetItStarted. Fall 2004.
^ Sachs, Jeffrey. The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. New York: Penguin. 2005. Page 264.
^ Quadir, Iqbal Z. ‘The Bottleneck Is At the Top of the Bottle.’ Fletcher Forum of World Affairs Vol. 26(2) Summer/Fall 2002. Page 10.
^ Power to the people. March 2006. The Economist. Page 37.
^ KSG, Quadir award prize for innovations in Bangladesh, Harvard University Gazette website.
^ Can the Cellphone Help End Global Poverty?, New York Times website.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Grameen Phone Bangladesh
Grameen phone is the largest mobile phone network of Bangladesh.
Grameenphone is now the leading telecommunications service provider in the country with more than 20 million subscribers as of June 2008.Presently, there are about 30 million telephone users in the country, of which, a little over one million are fixed-phone users and the rest mobile phone subscribers.Starting its operations on March 26, 1997, the Independence Day of Bangladesh, Grameenphone has come a long way. It is a joint venture enterprise between Telenor (62%), the largest telecommunications service provider in Norway with mobile phone operations in 12 other countries, and Grameen Telecom Corporation (38%), a non-profit sister concern of the internationally acclaimed micro-credit pioneer Grameen Bank. Over the years, Grameenphone has always been a pioneer in introducing new products and services in the local market. GP was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh when it launched its services in March 1997.The technological know-how and managerial expertise of Telenor has been instrumental in setting up such an international standard mobile phone operation in Bangladesh. Being one of the pioneers in developing the GSM service in Europe, Telenor has also helped to transfer this knowledge to the local employees over the years.
The company has so far invested more than BDT 10,700 crore (USD 1.6 billion) to build the network infrastructure since its inception in 1997. It has invested over BDT 3,100 crore (USD 450 million) during the first three quarters of 2007 while BDT 2,100 crore (USD 310 million) was invested in 2006 alone. Grameenphone is also one the largest taxpayers in the country, having contributed nearly BDT 7000 crore in direct and indirect taxes to the Government Exchequer over the years. Of this amount, over BDT 2000 crore was paid in 2006 alone.
Since its inception in March 1997, Grameenphone has built the largest cellular network in the country with over 10,000 base stations in more than 5700 locations. Presently, nearly 98 percent of the country's population is within the coverage area of the Grameenphone network.
Grameenphone was also the first operator to introduce the pre-paid service in September 1999. It established the first 24-hour Call Center, introduced value-added services such as VMS, SMS, fax and data transmission services, international roaming service, WAP, SMS-based push-pull services, EDGE, personal ring back tone and many other products and services.
The entire Grameenphone network is also EDGE/GPRS enabled, allowing access to high-speed Internet and data services from anywhere within the coverage area. There are currently nearly 3 million EDGE/GPRS users in the Grameenphone network.
Grameenphone nearly doubled its subscriber base during the initial years while the growth was much faster during the later years. It ended the inaugural year with 18,000 customers, 30,000 by the end of 1998, 60,000 in 1999, 193,000 in 2000, 471,000 in 2001, 775,000 in 2002, 1.16 million in 2003, 2.4 million in 2004, 5.5 million in 2005, 11.3 million in 2006, and it ended 2007 with 16.5 million customers.
From the very beginning, Grameenphone placed emphasis on providing good after-sales services. In recent years, the focus has been to provide after-sales within a short distance from where the customers live. There are now more than 600 GP Service Desks across the country covering nearly all upazilas of 61 districts. In addition, there are 72 Grameenphone Centers in all the divisional cities and they remain open from 8am-7pm every day including all holidays.GP has generated direct and indirect employment for a large number of people over the years. The company presently has more than 5,000 full and temporary employees. Another 100,000 people are directly dependent on Grameenphone for their livelihood, working for the Grameenphone dealers, retailers, scratch card outlets, suppliers, vendors, contractors and others.
In addition, the Village Phone Program, also started in 1997, provides a good income-earning opportunity to more than 210,000 mostly women Village Phone operators living in rural areas. The Village Phone Program is a unique initiative to provide universal access to telecommunications service in remote, rural areas. Administered by Grameen Telecom Corporation, it enables rural people who normally cannot afford to own a telephone to avail the service while providing the VP operators an opportunity to earn a living.
The Village Phone initiative was given the "GSM in the Community" award at the global GSM Congress held in Cannes, France in February 2000. Grameenphone was also adjudged the Best Joint Venture Enterprise of the Year at the Bangladesh Business Awards in 2002. Grameenphone was presented with the GSM Association's Global Mobile Award for ‘Best use of Mobile for Social and Economic Development' at the 3GSM World Congress held in Singapore, in October 2006, for its Community Information Center (CIC) project, and for its HealthLine Service project at the 3GSM World Congress held in Barcelona, Spain, in February 2007.
Grameenphone considers its employees to be one of its most important assets. GP has an extensive employee benefit scheme in place including Gratuity, Provident Fund, Group Insurance, Family Health Insurance, Transportation Facility, Day Care Centre, Children's Education Support, Higher Education Support for employees, in-house medical support and other initiatives.
Since its inception in March 1997, Grameenphone has built the largest cellular network in the country with over 10,000 base stations in more than 5700 locations. Presently, nearly 98 percent of the country's population is within the coverage area of the Grameenphone network.
Grameenphone was also the first operator to introduce the pre-paid service in September 1999. It established the first 24-hour Call Center, introduced value-added services such as VMS, SMS, fax and data transmission services, international roaming service, WAP, SMS-based push-pull services, EDGE, personal ring back tone and many other products and services.
The entire Grameenphone network is also EDGE/GPRS enabled, allowing access to high-speed Internet and data services from anywhere within the coverage area. There are currently nearly 3 million EDGE/GPRS users in the Grameenphone network.
Grameenphone nearly doubled its subscriber base during the initial years while the growth was much faster during the later years. It ended the inaugural year with 18,000 customers, 30,000 by the end of 1998, 60,000 in 1999, 193,000 in 2000, 471,000 in 2001, 775,000 in 2002, 1.16 million in 2003, 2.4 million in 2004, 5.5 million in 2005, 11.3 million in 2006, and it ended 2007 with 16.5 million customers.
From the very beginning, Grameenphone placed emphasis on providing good after-sales services. In recent years, the focus has been to provide after-sales within a short distance from where the customers live. There are now more than 600 GP Service Desks across the country covering nearly all upazilas of 61 districts. In addition, there are 72 Grameenphone Centers in all the divisional cities and they remain open from 8am-7pm every day including all holidays.GP has generated direct and indirect employment for a large number of people over the years. The company presently has more than 5,000 full and temporary employees. Another 100,000 people are directly dependent on Grameenphone for their livelihood, working for the Grameenphone dealers, retailers, scratch card outlets, suppliers, vendors, contractors and others.
In addition, the Village Phone Program, also started in 1997, provides a good income-earning opportunity to more than 210,000 mostly women Village Phone operators living in rural areas. The Village Phone Program is a unique initiative to provide universal access to telecommunications service in remote, rural areas. Administered by Grameen Telecom Corporation, it enables rural people who normally cannot afford to own a telephone to avail the service while providing the VP operators an opportunity to earn a living.
The Village Phone initiative was given the "GSM in the Community" award at the global GSM Congress held in Cannes, France in February 2000. Grameenphone was also adjudged the Best Joint Venture Enterprise of the Year at the Bangladesh Business Awards in 2002. Grameenphone was presented with the GSM Association's Global Mobile Award for ‘Best use of Mobile for Social and Economic Development' at the 3GSM World Congress held in Singapore, in October 2006, for its Community Information Center (CIC) project, and for its HealthLine Service project at the 3GSM World Congress held in Barcelona, Spain, in February 2007.
Grameenphone considers its employees to be one of its most important assets. GP has an extensive employee benefit scheme in place including Gratuity, Provident Fund, Group Insurance, Family Health Insurance, Transportation Facility, Day Care Centre, Children's Education Support, Higher Education Support for employees, in-house medical support and other initiatives.
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