Grameenphone
Bangladesh's largest mobile telecommunications operator, providing nationwide connectivity and digital services.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Grameenphone is a Bangladesh-based mobile telecommunications operator and the country's largest mobile network brand by subscribers and revenue. It operates as Grameenphone Limited, commonly marketed as GP, and is a joint venture associated with Norway's Telenor and Bangladesh's Grameen Telecom. Telenor is the controlling shareholder, while Grameen Telecom was established within the Grameen institutional ecosystem associated with Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank. The company is also publicly listed in Bangladesh, giving outside investors a minority ownership interest. The business was conceived around the idea that mobile communications could extend economic opportunity beyond major cities. Entrepreneur Iqbal Quadir drew on the experience of the Grameen Bank microcredit model and promoted the concept of a phone as an income-generating asset for rural entrepreneurs. With backing from investor Joshua Mailman and support from Grameen organizations and Telenor, the venture was established in 1997. Its early mission combined commercial telecommunications with broader access goals, particularly for people in villages and communities that had historically been underserved by fixed-line infrastructure. Grameenphone introduced GSM mobile services in Bangladesh and subsequently expanded through prepaid voice, messaging, mobile internet, data packages, enterprise connectivity, and digital-content services. Its network has evolved from GSM, GPRS and EDGE to 3G and 4G LTE. The operator was an early provider of mobile internet in Bangladesh and later introduced eSIM support. It also conducted national 5G trials, including tests in Dhaka and Chattogram in 2022, followed by trials in other major urban centers. The reference material identifies a commercial 5G rollout beginning in September 2025. The company's consumer portfolio includes prepaid and postpaid mobile plans, voice and SMS services, mobile broadband, recharge products, roaming, digital entertainment, mobile payment-related services, and other value-added offerings. Bioscope provides streaming and live-television content, while Bioscope+ is described as a broader content-aggregation service within the Grameenphone One digital ecosystem. GPAY supports utility-bill payments, and Mobileplay provides online gaming-related services. Some earlier digital initiatives, including the classified and commerce platform Ekhanei.com, have been discontinued. Grameenphone's social and distribution history is closely tied to rural access. Through the Village Phone program, Grameen Telecom and associated partners enabled rural borrowers—many of them women—to operate shared GSM phones as small businesses. The program demonstrated how mobile access could be combined with microfinance and local entrepreneurship. Grameenphone has also operated customer-facing Grameenphone Centres, recharge outlets, GP Express stores, and earlier Community Information Centres intended to make communications and internet services available outside large urban areas. Today, Grameenphone competes in Bangladesh's mobile market through network scale, broad geographic coverage, brand recognition, distribution reach, and a growing digital-services portfolio. Its principal business remains mobile connectivity, but its strategic role increasingly includes data consumption, digital content, enterprise services, and next-generation network technologies. The company remains active, publicly traded, and closely connected to the Telenor international telecommunications group.
History
Grameenphone emerged from an effort to apply the social and economic logic of microfinance to telecommunications. Iqbal Quadir, an entrepreneur with experience in investment banking in the United States, argued that a mobile phone could be more than a personal communications device: in a rural setting it could become a productive asset used to provide paid access to neighbors. The concept was influenced by the Grameen Bank model, which used small loans to support economic participation among people excluded from conventional finance. Quadir secured support from New York investor and philanthropist Joshua Mailman before returning to Bangladesh to develop the project. He spent several years building institutional backing and worked to bring together Grameen organizations and the Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor. Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, helped establish Grameen Telecom as a major Bangladeshi shareholder and institutional partner. The resulting company, Grameenphone, was founded in 1997 and became a joint venture linking Telenor's telecommunications expertise with Grameen's local development network. The operator introduced GSM mobile communications in Bangladesh, using 900 MHz and 1800 MHz spectrum, and built a business around expanding coverage beyond the country's principal cities. Prepaid service, introduced in 1999, lowered barriers to adoption and supported a broad mass-market customer base. Grameenphone also became an early provider of mobile internet through GPRS and EDGE and later expanded into 3G and 4G services. Its network development helped turn mobile communications into a mainstream utility for consumers, businesses, and rural communities. The company's most distinctive access initiative was Village Phone. Through Grameen Telecom, Grameen Bank, and other development partners, rural borrowers—frequently women—could obtain financing for a Grameenphone subscription and operate a shared GSM phone as a small enterprise. They charged other villagers for calls and related services, creating both local access and a modest income stream. The program became an important example of how telecommunications infrastructure, microcredit, and entrepreneurship could be combined. The model was later replicated in other countries, including Uganda and Rwanda. Grameenphone supplemented network expansion with community and retail programs. Community Information Centres were piloted in 2006 to provide rural users with internet access, health and agricultural information, government-related services, email, and communication with relatives abroad. These centers were supported by Grameenphone's network and technical capabilities alongside partner organizations that selected and trained local entrepreneurs. The company also developed Grameenphone Centres as one-stop customer locations offering subscriptions, connectivity products, devices, accessories, and service support. The reference material notes that the Community Information Centres are no longer operated by Grameenphone. During the 2010s, Grameenphone broadened its identity from a voice operator into a digital-services company. It launched Bioscope for streaming and live television, GPAY for utility-bill payments, and Mobileplay for online gaming. Ekhanei.com, an e-commerce and classifieds service previously known as CellBazaar, was eventually closed in 2017. These initiatives reflected the growing importance of mobile data and digital content, although connectivity remained the core business. Network modernization continued through 3G and 4G deployment and later 5G experimentation. Grameenphone conducted early 5G tests in Dhaka and Chattogram in 2022 and later tested the technology in additional major cities. It also introduced eSIM support in 2022. The reference material identifies September 2025 as the start of its commercial 5G rollout, initially in major urban centers. In parallel, the company continued investing in nationwide network infrastructure and maintained a large tower and base-station footprint. Grameenphone's current business combines mobile voice, messaging, broadband, enterprise services, digital content, and value-added services. It remains Bangladesh's largest mobile operator and a central part of Telenor's international portfolio. Its brand continues to combine a mass-market commercial position with a historical association with rural access, entrepreneurship, and the wider Grameen development tradition.
- 2025
Bioscope+ launches
[1]A broader streaming and media-aggregation service launches within the Grameenphone One digital ecosystem.
- 2025
Commercial 5G rollout begins
[1]The reference material identifies September 2025 as the beginning of Grameenphone's commercial 5G service in Bangladesh.
- 2022
eSIM support is introduced
[1]Grameenphone begins supporting embedded SIM activation for compatible devices.
- 2022
Expanded 5G trials are conducted
[1]The operator tests 5G across Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barishal, Mymensingh, and Rangpur.
- 2018
Mobile number portability is introduced in Bangladesh
[1]Subscribers gain the ability to move between operators while retaining their numbers.
- 2017
Ekhanei.com closes
[1]The operator discontinues its e-commerce and classified-listing service.
- 2016
Bioscope launches
[1]Grameenphone enters digital video and live-TV distribution with Bioscope.
- 2010
GP House is inaugurated
[1]The company's corporate headquarters in Dhaka is formally opened.
- 2006
Community Information Centre pilot begins
[1]The company and partner organizations establish an initial group of rural internet and information centers.
- 2006
Brand identity is aligned with Telenor
[1]Grameenphone changes its logo to match Telenor's corporate visual identity.
Products and positioning
Mass-market, nationwide connectivity with a strong rural-access heritage and an expanding digital-services ecosystem.
Mobile telecommunications · 1999
Prepaid mobile service
Introduced in 1999, prepaid service allows customers to purchase voice, messaging, and data access without a long-term postpaid contract. It has been central to Grameenphone's mass-market reach because customers can control spending through recharges and select short-term packages.
Mobile broadband
4G LTE
Grameenphone's 4G service provides mobile broadband for smartphones, routers, and other compatible devices. It supports consumer data plans, streaming, app use, and business connectivity across the operator's expanding network.
Mobile telecommunications · 2025
5G
The operator conducted 5G tests in multiple Bangladeshi cities and, according to the reference material, began commercial service in September 2025. The initial rollout focused on major urban areas before broader expansion.
Digital entertainment · 2016
Bioscope
Bioscope is a streaming and live-television platform launched by Grameenphone in 2016. It offers access to original programs, dramas, films, and live television through digital devices and mobile connectivity.
Digital entertainment · 2025
Bioscope+
Bioscope+ is a media-aggregation and streaming platform launched in 2025 as part of the Grameenphone One ecosystem. The reference material describes it as bringing together content from more than eleven local and international over-the-top platforms, including Chorki and Hoichoi.
Digital payments · 2016
GPAY
GPAY is a utility-bill payment service introduced in 2016. It extends the operator's role beyond connectivity by enabling customers to use mobile channels for selected payment activities.
Rural access program
Village Phone
Village Phone is a rural telecommunications and entrepreneurship program operated through Grameen Telecom with Grameenphone connectivity. Participants, often women borrowers, use financed mobile subscriptions as shared payphones and charge community members for access.
E-commerce and classifieds
Ekhanei.com
Ekhanei.com, previously associated with the CellBazaar name, was a mobile and internet marketplace where users could buy and sell goods. Access was offered to Grameenphone customers, but the service was closed in 2017.
Marketing campaigns
- 2006Community Information Centres
Bangladesh
The pilot created rural points where people could access the internet, agricultural and health information, government services, email, and communications tools using Grameenphone infrastructure and partner support.
Outcome. The initiative provided an early rural digital-access model, although the reference material states that the centers are no longer operated by Grameenphone.
- Village Phone
Bangladesh
A rural-access and microenterprise initiative connected Grameenphone service with Grameen Bank lending and Grameen Telecom's local network. Village entrepreneurs, many of them women, operated shared phones and earned income by charging others for calls.
Outcome. The program expanded rural access and was later replicated in countries including Uganda and Rwanda.
Brand decisions
2025
Launch commercial 5G serviceProduct launchBackground
Following earlier trials, Grameenphone moved to commercial next-generation mobile service in selected urban areas.
Action taken
The operator began a 5G rollout in major Bangladeshi cities.
Aftermath
The rollout expanded Grameenphone's technology portfolio beyond 4G and positioned the company for higher-capacity mobile-data use cases.
2022
Prepare for 5G deploymentGeneration changeBackground
The operator sought to test next-generation mobile technology in Bangladesh before commercial deployment.
Action taken
Grameenphone conducted 5G trials in Dhaka, Chattogram, and additional major cities.
Aftermath
The trials preceded the commercial 5G rollout identified in the reference material for September 2025.
2016
Expand into digital entertainmentStrategyBackground
Growing smartphone and mobile-data adoption created opportunities beyond voice and messaging.
Action taken
Grameenphone launched Bioscope for streaming and live television content.
Aftermath
The company developed a broader digital-services portfolio alongside its core network business.
1999
Introduce prepaid mobile serviceProduct launchBackground
Mobile ownership and usage needed to reach customers beyond conventional postpaid subscribers.
Action taken
Grameenphone launched prepaid mobile service for Bangladeshi consumers.
Aftermath
Prepaid access became an important part of the operator's mass-market distribution model.
Recent events
Grameenphone partners with DigiPro Solutions and ReCom Consulting[3]
Grameenphone announced a partnership with DigiPro Solutions and ReCom Consulting to assist with finance and accounting operations and collection-related tasks.
Sources3 sources
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