Emulating mobile expenses and low priced handsets is making Bangladesh the fastest growing cellular market in Asia. Telecom regulator data revealed the signing up of more than 1.6 million new subscribers in June by Bangladesh’s top six mobile phone operators raising the user base to 43.70 million.
A rise of more than 21 percent January onwards, Bangladesh’s top mobile phone carrier, Grameenphone, majorly owned by Norway’s Telenor showed that their subscribership has passed about 20 million from 19.58 million a month ago.
Signing up 4,70,000 new users in June taking their aggregate to 9.46 million is the next competitor, Egyptian Orascom Telecom’s ORTE.CA Banglalink.
Acquiring 1,40,000 new customers making their user base of around 7.85 million at June-end is Aktel, majority owned by Telekom Malaysia International, the third ranked cellular network.
Finishing June with 3.31 million users from 3.13 million users is the initiator of Bangladesh operations in May 2007, Waird Telecom, International of the United Arab Emirates.
An allying endeavor between Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Limited and Singapore Telecommunication gave birth to the sole CDMA carrier CityCell with its users growing from 16.4 million in May to 1.70 million in June.
Finally the user base of the State owned Telecom Company Teletalk was at 1.07 million in June.
A considerable support to the otherwise impoverished Bangladeshi economy, experts in the trade predict an estimated 70 million mobile phone users at the end of 2011. A recent report titled ‘Mobile Benchmark Studies in South Asia and Latin America’ described Bangladesh to have a declined average monthly cost for telephone use for postpaid and prepaid tariff plans. Equipped by such low tariffs and even cheaper handsets, the Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission claimed a rise of 34.4 million in 2007 that is an approximate rise of 58 percent.
With more than half the population below poverty line, the progressing cellular market can create employment opportunities for hundreds of locals. At this rate of cellular growth Bangladesh can intrigue popular mobile carriers for investments making the country flourish in all respects.