The New Nation - Internet Edition

Business Report

The latest switching technology from Ericsson will help operator Grameenphone meet the needs of its expanding subscriber base - currently 44 percent of the Bangladeshi market - and pave the way for the quick and cost-effective future introduction of new services such as mobile broadband.

Only one in three people in Bangladesh have access to a mobile phone, though mobile use in this country of 150 million people has been growing by a rate of more than 20 percent in recent years. Oddvar Hesjedal, CEO of Grameenphone, says: "Bangladesh presents tremendous opportunities for growth. Ericsson's advanced technology will optimize our network operations and strengthen our ability to evolve and expand our business while preparing our network for future needs."

Håkan Rusch, Managing Director of Ericsson Bangladesh, says: "This agreement demonstrates Ericsson's commitment to cultivating long-term, strategic relationships with the aim of creating a competitive advantage for our customers".

Under the agreement, Ericsson will upgrade their installation of Grameenphone's packet-switched and circuit-switched core network. This includes implementing the latest Mobile Softswitch Solution, along with the new MSC Server Blade Cluster and the Service Aware Packet Core - enabling differentiated service charging and fair usage policies for mobile data services.