Performance Bangladesh: Grameenphone

Evaluation Report Telecommunications Project and

Grameenphone Telecommunications
Expansion Project

Independent
Evaluation
Performance Evaluation Report
March 2013

Bangladesh: Grameenphone
Telecommunications Project and
Grameenphone Telecommunications
Expansion Project

Reference Number: PPE:BAN 2012-02

Project Number: 31903
Equity Investment Numbers: 7143-BAN and 7194-BAN
Independent Evaluation: PE-761
 NOTES

(i) The fiscal year of Grameenphone ends on 31 December.

(ii) In this report, “$” refers to US dollars.

Director General V. Thomas, Independent Evaluation Department (IED)

Director H. Hettige, Independent Evaluation Division 2, IED

Team leader N. Gamo, Senior Evaluation Officer, IED

Team member I. Garganta, Senior Evaluation Assistant, IED

The guidelines formally adopted by the Independent Evaluation Department on

avoiding conflict of interest in its independent evaluations were observed in the
preparation of this report. To the knowledge of the management of Independent
Evaluation Department, there were no conflicts of interest of the persons preparing,
reviewing, or approving this report.

In preparing any evaluation report, or by making any designation of or reference to a

particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Independent Evaluation
Department does not intend to make any judgment as to the legal or other status of
any territory or area.
Abbreviations
ADB – Asian Development Bank
BTS – base transceiver station
CAGR – compound annual growth rate
CDC – Commonwealth Development Corporation
CO2 – carbon dioxide
EIRR – economic internal rate of return
ESHS – environmental, social, health, and safety
FIRR – financial internal rate of return
GSM – Global System for Mobile Communications
HSSE – health, safety, security, and environment
IFC – International Finance Corporation
IPO – initial public offering
MOPT – Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications
Norfund – Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries
PCR – project completion report
RRP – report and recommendation of the President
SIM – subscriber identity module
SMS – short messaging service
VPT – village pay telephone
WACC – weighted average cost of capital

Currency Equivalents
Currency Unit – Bangladesh taka (Tk)

At Completion At Independent
At Appraisal (13 July 2005) Evaluation
(20 November 1997) (17 December 2012)
Tk1.00 = $0.0222 $0.0157 $0.0124
$1.00 = Tk45.00 Tk63.67 Tk80.62
Contents
Acknowledgements v
Basic Data viii
Executive Summary ix

Chapter 1: The Project 1

A. Project Background 1
B. Key Project Features 2
C. Progress Highlights 2

Chapter 2: Evaluation 4
A. Project Rationale and Objectives 4
B. Development Outcomes and Impact 4
C. ADB Investment Profitability 11
D. ADB Work Quality 11
E. ADB Additionality 13
F. Overall Project Rating 14

Chapter 3: Lessons and Issues 15

A. Lessons 15
B. Issues 15

Appendixes
1. The Bangladesh Telecommunications Sector 17
2. Village Pay Telephone Program 20
3. Private Sector Development Indicators and Ratings 26
4. Grameenphone Limited–Company Profile and Performance 30
Acknowledgments
A team of staff and consultants from the Independent Evaluation Department
contributed to this study, including analysis, desk reviews, interviews, and research. The
core team included Noel Gamo (team leader), Irene Garganta and Pial Islam
(consultant).

The report benefited from the guidance of Vinod Thomas, Director General,
Independent Evaluation Department and Hemamala Hettige, Director, Independent
Evaluation Division 2.

The team would like to thank ADB staff, the management team of Grameenphone and
Grameen Telecom, officials of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory
Commission, other government offices who were interviewed for their time and inputs,
and peer reviewers Valerie Reppelin-Hill and Henrike Feig for providing valuable
comments to strengthen the report. Also, the team would like to acknowledge other
staff who provided comments on the draft.
 Basic Data
Investment No. 7143-BAN and Loan No. 1603-BAN
As per RRP Actual
Key Project Data ($ million) ($ million)
ADB equity investment 1.6 1.6
ADB senior loan 30.0 16.7

Key Dates Actual

Approval of concept clearance 24 February 1997
Board approval 20 February 1998
Loan agreement 7 July 1999
Share subscription agreement 7 July 1999
Equity investment 28 October 1999
First loan disbursement 28 October 1999
Final loan disbursement 30 March 2001

Mission Data
Type of Mission No. of Missions Dates
Fact-finding mission 1 8–28 April 1997
Post-fact-finding missions 2 11–19 September 1997
22–29 October 1997
Pre-appraisal mission 1 17–20 November 1997
Review missions 4 9–16 August 1998
19–23 May 1999
7–10 October 2002
19–21 October 2003
Project completion review mission 1 6–8 March 2005

Investment No. 7194-BAN and Loan No. 2078-BAN

As per RRP Actual
Key Project Data ($ million) ($ million)
ADB senior loan 20.0 20.0

Key Dates Actual

Approval of concept clearance 25 November 2003
Board approval 26 January 2004
Loan agreement 17 June 2004
First loan disbursement 26 August 2004
Final loan disbursement 26 April 2005

Mission Data
Type of Mission No. of Missions Dates
Fact-finding mission 1 19–21 October 2003
Appraisal mission 1 9–10 December 2003
Project completion review mission 0 Not applicable
ADB = Asian Development Bank, BAN = Bangladesh, RRP = report and recommendation of the
President.
Executive Summary

In the mid-1990s, the telephone service in Bangladesh was in a very poor state.
The country had one of the lowest teledensities in the world with less than one phone
per 100 inhabitants. The situation was worse in rural Bangladesh, where there was less
than one phone per 1,000 inhabitants. The industry players then were the Bangladesh
Telephone and Telegraph Board, which had a virtual monopoly of the fixed-line
telephone service, and Citycell, a mobile phone operator with about 20,000 subscribers.
In 1996, the government granted three additional cellular service licenses, one of which
to Grameenphone Limited (Grameenphone).

Grameenphone was established in October 1996 and began commercial

operations in March 1997. In June 1997, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the
International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Commonwealth Development
Corporation decided to jointly process a project in support of Grameenphone. In
January 1998, ADB approved an equity investment of $1.6 million and a senior loan of
up to $30.0 million. The project entailed the construction and operation of a
nationwide cellular telephone system that would provide common cellular services in
the main cities, and village pay telephone (VPT) services in rural areas of Bangladesh. In
January 2004, ADB approved another loan of up to $20.0 million for the expansion of
Grameenphone’s network. ADB jointly processed the loan with IFC and the Norwegian
Investment Fund for Developing Countries (Norfund).

The project achieved its main objective of assisting the establishment of a

nationwide telephone system that would provide common cellular phone services in
the main cities and VPT services in rural areas. By the end of 2011, Grameenphone’s
mobile services covered 100% of Bangladesh’s districts, 90% of the land area, and 99%
of the population. The VPT program has also provided telephone access to about 95%
of the villages in rural Bangladesh.

In accordance with ADB guidelines, the project was evaluated based on its
development outcomes and impact, ADB investment profitability, ADB work quality,
and ADB additionality. The project’s development outcomes and impact were rated
excellent based on excellent subcomponent ratings for contribution to private sector
development; business success; economic sustainability; and environmental, social,
health, and safety performance.

The project made a very substantial contribution to private sector development.

Grameenphone employs 5,000 people, and another 350,000 people benefit from doing
business with the company as suppliers and distribution points. Upstream links
comprise 1,200 vendors, half of which are local. Downstream links include 14,000
retail outlets, 100,000 reload points, and nearly 700,000 active VPT operators.
Grameenphone has also played a key role in promoting competition by setting high
operational, financial, and ethical standards for the rest of the industry to follow. The
project likewise contributed to stronger governance and transferred technical and
managerial skills to local employees.
x Grameenphone Telecommunications Project and Grameenphone Telecommunications
Expansion Project

In terms of business success, the project was rated excellent. Its real financial
internal rate of return was in excess of the threshold for an excellent rating, i.e., the
real weighted average cost of capital plus 700 basis points. In addition, the project
surpassed all the operational and financial targets that were set during approval. Its
contribution to economic development was likewise rated excellent, as its real
economic internal rate of return was greater than the threshold economic internal rate
of return of 20% for such a rating.

The project’s environmental, social, health, and safety performance has been
exemplary. In 2008, Grameenphone formally launched its Climate Change Program
with the objective of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 40% by 2015 from the
business-as-usual situation, with 2008 as the baseline. The company’s climate change
initiatives include the use of solar energy in its off-grid base transceiver stations (BTSs)
or cell sites, the replacement of 7,272 BTSs with energy-efficient modern equipment,
the consolidation of core nodes from 40 to 20, the replacement of 6,500 air
conditioners in the BTS rooms with direct current ventilation systems, and the
inauguration of a new, environmentally friendly building.

The project purposely promoted social development and inclusive growth. The
VPT program has provided earning opportunities for thousands of people who serve as
VPT operators and has afforded telephone access to previously unserved areas. There
are nearly 700,000 active VPT operators in 83,000 of the 87,000 villages in Bangladesh.
Grameenphone has also established community information centers that offer low-rate
but high-speed voice, data, and other communication services to previously
unconnected people. There are 502 such centers in nearly 450 (or about 97%) of the
upazilas (subdistricts) in the country.

ADB’s front-end work quality materially met many of the good practice
standards, so ADB's performance in screening, appraisal, and structuring was rated
satisfactory. ADB's role and contribution was also rated satisfactory, as it was in line
with ADB operating strategies, policies, and standards. However, ADB’s performance in
monitoring and supervision is rated less than satisfactory, as its practices were
inadequate in monitoring the performance of the project and Grameenphone,
particularly during the crucial early years. ADB’s overall work quality was therefore
rated less than satisfactory.

ADB investment profitability was rated excellent. The financial internal rate of
return on ADB’s equity investment exceeded the threshold for an excellent rating of 1.3
times the at-approval minimum return expectation. The fees and margins on the two
loans were similar to other ADB nonsovereign infrastructure loans that were approved
at about the same time as the two loans to Grameenphone. All principal repayments
and interest payments were made on time.

ADB’s additionality was rated excellent, as its finance and its role in bringing in
IFC and the Commonwealth Development Corporation were seen as a necessary
condition for the timely realization of the project. Without ADB participation, the
project most likely would have gone ahead but Grameenphone may not have been able
to expand its network coverage and capacity as quickly as it did, which was a key
element of its overall business strategy.

The guidelines require an excellent rating for development outcomes and

impact, and at least a satisfactory rating for each of the three other criteria, for a
 Executive Summary xi

project to be rated highly successful overall. But the guidelines also allow exceptions
when justified. This is one of those exceptions, as three of the criteria were rated
excellent and one was rated less than satisfactory. In particular, the exceptionally high
development outcomes and impact of the project clearly overshadow the less than
satisfactory ADB work quality, which is based solely on the inadequate monitoring and
supervision of a well-progressing project. The project therefore merits an overall rating
of highly successful.

The project was well conceived and implemented. Two lessons were drawn
from it. Both are obvious, but they still need to be pointed out. The first one is the need
to thoroughly review legal documents. A flaw in the wording in one of the agreements
could have been avoided. The second lesson stresses the importance of strong sponsors
to help ensure the success of private sector projects. The individual strengths of the
major sponsors—particularly the extensive business experience and good corporate
governance practices of Telenor and the wide distribution network and brand
recognition of Grameen Bank—and the synergies between them are the qualities that
ADB should look for in project sponsors when considering future private sector
operations projects.

There is one major issue. The taxes and fees that the industry is paying are very
high. These concern spectrum charges, license fees, revenue sharing, social obligation
fund, a corporate income tax that is higher for operators like Grameenphone than for
other types of companies, subscriber identity module card tax, and value-added tax on
certain services. As a result, only Grameenphone was making a profit as of 2011. The
government is clearly trying to raise as much revenue from the industry as possible. But
at the rate the operators are losing money, there may be fewer players in the near
future, which is not good for the industry, the consumers, and the country in the long
run. ADB needs to therefore consider discussing this issue in its policy dialogues with
the government.

Vinod Thomas
Director General
Independent Evaluation
 CHAPTER 1
The Project

1. This chapter provides a brief description of the project: (i) how it came about;
(ii) some of its key features; and (iii) highlights of its progress.

A. Project Background
2. In 1996, Bangladesh had a telephone density of about 0.3 lines per 100
inhabitants—the 13th lowest in the world and third lowest in Asia at that time.
Seventy percent of telephone lines were located in three metropolitan areas—
Chittagong, Dhaka, and Khulna. The rest of the country had less than one telephone
per 1,000 inhabitants. The sector players during this time were (i) the Bangladesh
Telegraph and Telephone Board, which was owned by the government and was the
dominant service provider with about 350,000 subscribers; (ii) two rural service
providers offering primarily pay telephone services in district centers with about
20,000 subscribers; and (iii) a mobile phone operator with about 20,000 subscribers.
In November 1996, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MOPT) licensed
three additional companies to provide nationwide mobile telephone services, one of
which was Grameenphone Limited (Grameenphone). Appendix 1 contains more
information on the Bangladesh telecommunications sector.

3. Grameenphone was incorporated in Bangladesh in October 1996. Its sponsors

were (i) Grameen Telecom, a wholly owned subsidiary of Grameen Bank; (ii) Telenor
Invest AS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Telenor AS, the telephone operating company
of Norway; (iii) Marubeni Corporation, one of the largest trading companies in Japan;
and (iv) Gonofone Development Corporation, a company based in the United States
that develops telecommunications projects internationally.

4. Grameen Bank approached the Asian Development Bank (ADB) about the
Grameenphone Telecommunications Project in December 1995, a few months after
MOPT formally announced the bidding process for the licensing of the three additional
mobile phone operators. ADB conducted a reconnaissance mission in January 1997
and a fact-finding mission in April 1997. In June 1997, ADB, the International Finance
Corporation (IFC), and the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) decided to
jointly process the project. On 20 January 1998, ADB approved (i) an equity
investment of $1.6 million and (ii) a senior loan of up to $30.0 million for the project.
IFC and CDC pledged identical equity and loan amounts to the project. The equity
investments were fully injected but only $16.7 million of the $30.0 million approved
loan amount was drawn from each institution, as Grameenphone requested a
reduction of the total loan to $50.0 million based on a more conservative business
plan and consequently slower rollout.

5. In January 2004, ADB approved another loan of up to $20.0 million for the
Grameenphone Telecommunications Expansion Project. This time, ADB processed the
2 Grameenphone Telecommunications Project and Grameenphone Telecommunications
Expansion Project

expansion project in conjunction with IFC and the Norwegian Investment Fund for
Developing Countries (Norfund).

B. Key Project Features

6. The project entailed the construction and operation of a nationwide cellular
telephone system that would provide common cellular services in the main cities, and
village pay telephone (VPT) services in rural areas of Bangladesh. The total project cost
at appraisal aimed to cover the first 3 years of investment and operations, after which
the project was expected to be self-sustaining. However, the demand for mobile
phone services grew rapidly and exceeded initial estimates, so Grameenphone needed
to expand its network capacity and upgrade its system. The increased total cost of the
expansion project was intended to finance the expansion of Grameenphone’s mobile
cellular network, restructure Grameenphone’s capital base, and refinance ADB's and
IFC's senior debt.

7. A key component of the project is the 1,800-kilometer nationwide fiber-optic

network that Grameenphone leases from Bangladesh Railways. This state-of-the-art
high-capacity transmission system allowed Grameenphone to immediately capture a
big share of the market, as it was able to expand coverage ahead of the other
operators.

8. Another important feature of the project is the VPT program. Grameenphone

provides the cellular service but its affiliate, Grameen Telecom, manages the program.
Grameen Telecom sells handsets on installment and resells bulk airtime (which it
purchases from Grameenphone) at wholesale prices to the VPT operators, who then
sell telephone services to their fellow villagers. The VPT operators remit their
installment payments and billed airtimes to Grameen Bank branches. The VPT program
is discussed in greater detail in Appendix 2.

C. Progress Highlights
9. Grameenphone began operations in March 1997, but it was initially limited to
mobile-to-mobile operations (without landline connectivity) and covered only the
capital city of Dhaka. In 1999, Grameenphone introduced the first prepaid service in
Bangladesh and by the end of that year covered 26 (about 40%) of the districts in the
country. By the end of 2008, its mobile services covered 100% of the districts, 88% of
the land area and 98% of the population.

10. Grameenphone’s market share in terms of subscriber numbers peaked at

around 69% in 2000–2002. It has since fallen dramatically due to intense competition,
but with 43% as of the end of 2011, Grameenphone still has the biggest share of the
six mobile phone operators.

11. As shown in Table 1, the project had achieved most of the projected operating
and financial objectives by 2001 and far exceeded all of them by 2004.
 The Project 3
Table 1: Projected vs. Actual Operating and Financial Results

Item 1998 2001 2004 2006 2008

No. of subscribers ('000)

Projected 55 247 1,538 2,219 2,569
Actual 30 471 2,388 10,759 20,990

No. of VPT operators

Projected 1,429 16,521 52,824 74,471 85,554
Actual 179 9,222 94,003 281,143 417,587

Operating revenues (Tk million)

Projected 914 4,244 16,322 16,311 13,029
Actual 544 7,319 19,701 45,640 61,359

EBITDA (Tk million)

Projected 2 2,141 6,051 5,700 3,605
Actual (110) 3,259 15,210 36,016 50,842
( ) = negative; EBITDA = earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization; VPT = village pay telephone.
Sources: Projected figures in 1998 and 2001 are from ADB. 1998. Report and Recommendation of the President to the
Board of Directors: Equity Investment to Bangladesh for the Grameenphone Telecommunications. Manila. Projected
figures for 2004, 2006, and 2008 are from ADB. 2004. Report and Recommendation of the President to the Board of
Directors: Equity Investment to Bangladesh for the Grameenphone Telecommunications Expansion. Manila. Actual
figures are from annual reports and audited financial statements of Grameenphone.

12. The VPT program was likewise successful. As shown above, the number of VPT
operators surpassed expectations by almost five times by the end of 2008. By the end
of 2011, there were 672,955 active VPT operators in 83,000 of the 87,000 villages in
Bangladesh.1

1
At the end of 2011, Grameen Telecom placed the number of VPT operators at 797,076 while
Grameenphone recorded 672,955 active VPT operators. Grameen Telecom’s figures may therefore include
inactive operators.
 CHAPTER 2

Evaluation

13. The project was evaluated using the criteria prescribed in ADB’s guidelines. 2 The
rationale and objectives set out below outline those envisaged during the approval of
the project. The investment was evaluated according to (i) the project’s development
outcomes and impact, (ii) ADB investment profitability, (iii) ADB work quality, and (iv)
ADB additionality.

A. Project Rationale and Objectives

14. The main objective of ADB’s investment in Grameenphone was to assist in the
establishment of a nationwide telephone system that would provide common cellular
phone services in the main cities and VPT services in rural areas. This objective has been
achieved. By the end of 2011, Grameenphone’s mobile services covered 100% of
Bangladesh’s districts, 90% of the land area, and 99% of the population. 3 The VPT
program has also provided telephone access to about 95% of the villages in rural
Bangladesh.

By end of 2011, 15. Bangladesh had a teledensity (fixed lines per 100 inhabitants) of only 0.3 in
1996. By the end of 2011, the country still had a low teledensity of 1.06, but mobile
Grameenphone’ phone subscriptions reached 56.5 per 100 inhabitants. Industry sources estimate the
s mobile actual penetration level to be around 35% since it is very common for individuals to
services have two or more mobile phone accounts, usually with different operators.
Nonetheless, as Grameenphone has the biggest share of the market, the project
covered all contributed greatly to the goal of providing universal telephone access to urban and
districts, 90% rural Bangladesh.
of the land
area, and 99% B. Development Outcomes and Impact
of the 16. The project’s development outcomes and impact were assessed and rated using
population the criteria of contribution to private sector development; business success; economic
sustainability; and environmental, social, health, and safety (ESHS) performance.

1. Contribution to Private Sector Development

17. Private sector expansion. The project made a very substantial contribution to
the growth of the telecommunications industry and to more private participation in the
sector. The post and telecommunications component of Bangladesh's gross domestic

2
ADB. 2007. Guidelines for Preparing Performance Evaluation Reports on Nonsovereign Operations. Manila.
3
The coverage of the population pertains to the percentage of the population that can be reached by
Grameenphone’s mobile telephone system and does not refer to actual subscription or penetration levels.
 Evaluation 5
product grew by an average of 6.3% per year (in constant prices) from 1998 to 2000.
The growth rate of the sector reached an average 21.2% per year from 2001 to 2010,
during which period none of the other sectors of the economy had double-digit
average growth. Grameenphone, as the dominant cellular service operator, contributed
greatly to this growth—its gross revenues during 2001–2010 represented on average
36.0% of the post and telecommunications component of gross domestic product, and
its net profits 8.0% (Figure below). The sector began to outpace the growth of
Grameenphone’s revenues in 2005 mainly due to the entry of other players such as
fixed-line operators, international gateway operators, international internet gateway
operators, and internet protocol telephony service providers.

Grameenphone Revenues and Net Profits vs. the Post and

Telecommunications Component of Gross Domestic Product, 2001–2010

300

250

200
Tk billion

150

100

50

0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Post and Telecoms Subsector GPL Revenues GPL Profits

GPL = Grameenphone.
Sources: Grameenphone audited financial statements; Bangladesh Economic Review, Ministry of
Finance.

18. Grameenphone employs 5,000 people directly. It estimates that another Grameenphon
350,000 people depend on it for their livelihood by working for the dealers, retailers, e employs
electronic reload and scratch outlets, suppliers, vendors, contractors, and other
business partners of Grameenphone. The company has also provided entrepreneurial 5,000 people
opportunities to nearly 700,000 VPT operators. Studies show that some of these have directly and
diversified into other areas such as mobile phone and accessories shops, mobile phone another
repair, electronic reload and scratch outlets, retail shops, and trading. Likewise, VPT
users have availed of the service to conduct business. 350,000
people depend
19. The success of Grameenphone may have also encouraged the entry of other on it for their
foreign players: (i) Orascom Telecom Holding (Egypt) bought 100% of Sheba Telecom
(Bangladesh) in 2004; (ii) SingTel (Singapore) bought a 45% stake in Pacific Bangladesh
livelihood
Telecom (Bangladesh) in 2005; (iii) the Abu Dhabi Group (United Arab Emirates) formed
Warid Telecom and became the latest cellular service operator in 2007; (iv) NTT
DoCoMo (Japan) bought the 30% share of AK Khan Group (Bangladesh) in Aktel in
2008; and (v) Bharti Airtel (India) bought a 70% stake in Warid in 2010.
 6 Grameenphone Telecommunications Project and Grameenphone Telecommunications
Expansion Project

20. Competition. MOPT’s granting of three additional cellular service licenses in

1996 basically ensured that there was going to be competition in the industry, but
Grameenphone has nonetheless played a key role by setting high operational, financial,
and ethical standards for the competitors to follow. Grameenphone quickly established
itself as the dominant player in the industry. With its superior reach and call quality, it
was able to capture an estimated 69% market share from 2000 to 2002. This fell to
43% in 2011 due to intense competition, but even the Bangladesh Telecommunication
Regulatory Commission acknowledges that Grameenphone is still the industry’s
“torchbearer.”4

21. Grameenphone’s decision to lease the fiber-optic network from Bangladesh

Railways and to invest heavily in infrastructure has paid off for the company—it was
able to expand its subscriber base much faster than the competition, mainly thanks to
its wider network coverage, higher system capacity, and superior call quality. Starting
in 2010, the company helped improve efficiency in the industry by entering into
infrastructure-sharing arrangements with the other operators.

22. Innovation. Grameenphone was the first operator to introduce the GSM
technology in Bangladesh (GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communications,
originally Groupe Spéciale Mobile). The other two operators that were given licenses in
1996 and the two entrants in 2005 and 2007 followed. Grameenphone was also the
first operator to offer a prepaid service, mobile internet access, voice short messaging
service, and BlackBerry services, and the first to establish a 24-hour call center. It also
introduced innovative and award-winning value-added services like CellBazaar (para.
47) and Healthline (para. 50).

23. The VPT program was the company’s greatest innovation. Without it, it would
The village pay have taken a long time for telephone services to reach rural Bangladesh, particularly
telephone people living in the more remote villages. It is highly unlikely that the other operators
program was would have been able to initiate such a program, because they did not have the
extensive cellular network of Grameenphone and the efficient and broad distribution
the company’s system of the Grameen organization.
greatest
innovation 24. Linkages. The project has contributed to notable upstream and downstream
linkages. Grameenphone does business with over 1,200 vendors, about half of which
are local—tower manufacturers, printers, publishers, civil works, food and water
vendors, and suppliers of equipment and transport. Downstream links include about
14,000 retail outlets, 100,000 reload points, and nearly 700,000 VPT operators.

25. Capital market development. Grameenphone has given the country’s capital
market a big boost. In 2008, it issued 425 unsecured and nonconvertible bonds,
denominated at Tk10 million each. While the bonds are not listed on any of the
bourses, the free transferability structure ensures that the financial instruments can be
easily bought and sold over the counter. The bonds were reported to be the first of

4
Grameenphone’s market share started to decline in 2003 and stabilized at 43%–44% during 2009–2011.
Between 2003 and 2009, two more mobile operators were issued licenses, bringing the number of players
to six. While Grameenphone remained strong in the corporate and mass markets, its competitors resorted
to aggressive pricing strategies (outright reduction of airtime rates and promos) and niche marketing
(small and medium-sized enterprises, youth, urban, and couples).
 Evaluation 7
their kind in the Bangladesh capital market. The Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh
rated both Grameenphone and the bonds AAA.

26. In October 2009, the company conducted the largest initial public offering
(IPO) in Bangladesh by offering 69.5 million shares to the public. The response was
overwhelming and the IPO was three times oversubscribed. The company was able to
raise Tk4.86 billion ($70 million). Grameenphone’s shares were listed on the Dhaka
Stock Exchange and Chittagong Stock Exchange in November of the same year. As of
the end of 2011, the market capitalization of the company represented 10.9% of the
total market capitalization of the Dhaka Stock Exchange.

27. Skills contribution. The technological know-how and managerial expertise of

Telenor has been instrumental in setting up an international-standard mobile phone Telenor has
operation in Bangladesh. Telenor is one of the leading telecommunications companies been
in the world and one of the top 500 global companies by market value. It has more instrumental
than 155 years of telecommunication experience and presently has ownership interests
in 12 mobile phone operators across Europe and Asia. Being one of the pioneers in
in setting up
developing the GSM service in Europe, Telenor has also helped transfer this knowledge an
to the local employees over the years. international
28. Stronger governance. Grameenphone has observed high standards of
standard
corporate governance. It takes its cue from its majority stockholder, Telenor, which is mobile phone
known for its transparency and adherence to good corporate governance. operation in
Grameenphone has been publishing annual reports since 2004, even before it became Bangladesh
a publicly listed company in 2009. The reports do not only summarize the company’s
operational and financial highlights for the year but also include the organizational
structure of the company, the profiles of the board of directors and the management
team, and the company’s corporate governance practices and control environment.

29. Grameenphone’s control environment consists of policies and procedures on

financial reporting, operational excellence, business and financial review, management
of assets, statutory and internal audit, internal control, dividends, risk management
and mitigation, compliance with rules and regulations of the country, ethics and
behavior, and investor relations. The recent awards that Grameenphone received for its
corporate governance practices were the South Asian Federation of Accountants award
for “Best Presented Accounts and Corporate Governance Disclosures” in 2010 and the
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh award for “Best Published Accounts
& Reports” in 2009 and 2010.

30. Contribution to private sector development rating. The project has had a
highly positive and sustainable impact on private sector development in Bangladesh
based on various indicators (Appendix 3), and no known negative impact. The project’s
contribution to private sector development is therefore rated excellent.

2. Business Success

31. Financial performance. The financial performance of Grameenphone has been

exemplary. The capital structure of the company is also very solid. Following its
successful IPO in 2009, it was able to pay off all its long-term debt in 2010.

32. What is noteworthy is that the company achieved all this despite the high fees
and taxes that the government levies on the industry. The corporate income tax rate for
 8 Grameenphone Telecommunications Project and Grameenphone Telecommunications
Expansion Project

a publicly traded mobile phone operator like Grameenphone is 35.0%, whereas that for
other types of publicly traded companies is only 27.5%. Mobile phone operators also
have to honor a 5.5% revenue-sharing arrangement with the government and pay an
additional 1.0% into the social obligation fund. They pay an annual license fee and 15%
value-added tax on certain services. The government also charges a subscriber identity
module (SIM) card tax of Tk605, a portion of which is being subsidized by operators to
make it affordable to subscribers.

33. Business success rating. Business success is measured primarily by the real
after-tax financial internal rate of return (FIRR) and compared with the real weighted
average cost of capital (WACC) for the project entity. In line with ADB guidelines, since
the real FIRR exceeded the threshold for an excellent rating (real WACC plus 700 basis
points), the business success of the project is rated excellent.

34. Other business goals and sustainability. The guidelines also provide that
ratings can consider on a secondary basis the attainment of other business goals stated
during project approval, and the overall prospects for sustainability and growth of the
project entity. As mentioned in paras. 11 and 12 and shown in Table 1, the project
surpassed all the operational and financial targets that were set during approval of the
project and of the expansion project.

35. As for the sustainability of the project entity, Grameenphone has demonstrated
that it can thrive despite the unpredictable regulatory environment and intense
competition. Its average revenue per user has been declining over the years, but this is
true for the rest of the industry. The company has also found ways to continue
expanding its subscriber base and increasing total revenues. These include the
introduction of new products, price plans, and value-added services. Grameenphone is
also future-proofing its operations by constantly expanding and upgrading its
hardware and software, ensuring preparedness to offer the next generation mobile
telephony services.

3. Contribution to Economic Development

36. Telecommunications projects serve the economy in two ways: (i) by being a
business in themselves, generating employment, manufacturing, and other commercial
benefits; and (ii) by facilitating economic activity such as finance, trade, or agriculture.
This assessment focused only on the project as a business.

37. The project’s contribution to economic development is measured primarily by

the economic internal rate of return (EIRR). In line with ADB guidelines, since the real
EIRR is greater than 20.0%, the project’s contribution to economic development is
rated excellent.

38. Grameenphone has been the largest corporate taxpayer in Bangladesh from
Grameenphone 2007 to 2011. In 2011 alone, Grameenphone contributed Tk60.1 billion ($747 million)
has been the to the National Exchequer. Since its inception until December 2011, Grameenphone has
largest paid taxes and duties totaling Tk245.2 billion ($3 billion).
corporate 39. Based on previous studies on the VPT program and a survey conducted for this
taxpayer in report, some of the economic benefits of the program were that it (i) supplemented
Bangladesh the household incomes of the VPT operators; (ii) allowed the VPT operators to expand
from 2007 to
2011
 Evaluation 9
into other businesses, both related and unrelated to the mobile phone industry; (iii)
allowed the VPT users to get better prices for their produce and supplies; and (iv) saved
the users time and money by not having to travel (to make a call, conduct business, or
visit family and friends).

4. Environmental, Social, Health, and Safety Performance

40. At the time of appraisal, ADB classified the project as category B for
environment, as there was limited construction associated with the project and there
were no anticipated adverse environmental impacts that could not be properly
mitigated. The project was also given category C classifications for involuntary
resettlement and indigenous peoples, as it was not expected to cause involuntary
resettlement or affect indigenous peoples.

41. Environmental performance. In 2007, Grameenphone embarked on several

climate change initiatives starting with the use of solar energy in its off-grid base
transceiver stations (BTSs) or cell sites. By the end of 2011, Grameenphone had 50 BTSs
running on solar with work in progress for the installation of solar power in another
110 sites. Thus far, the move has saved around 598,000 liters of fuel, which translates
into a reduction of over 1,500 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).

42. In 2008, Grameenphone formally launched its Climate Change Program. Its
target is to reduce CO2 emissions by 40% by 2015 from the business-as-usual situation Grameenphon
(with 2008 as the baseline). Aside from the solar energy project in off-grid sites, climate e estimates
change initiatives entailed (i) the replacement of 7,272 BTSs with modern, energy- savings so far
efficient equipment; (ii) the consolidation of core nodes from 40 to 20; and (iii) the
replacement of 6,500 air conditioners in the BTS rooms with direct current ventilation
of 125
systems. From these three initiatives, Grameenphone estimates savings so far of 125 gigawatt
gigawatt-hours of electricity and 83,000 liters of fuel, resulting in about 70,000 tons of hours of
CO2 reduction.
electricity and
43. In 2010, Grameenphone inaugurated GPHouse, its new headquarters, which it 83,000 liters of
claims is the first true environment-friendly building in Bangladesh. The building’s fuel, resulting
pioneering cogeneration system allows generation of its own electricity and the use of in about
by-product heat in absorption chillers for internal cooling of the building, resulting in
energy savings of about 60% compared with traditional building systems. This means 70,000 tons of
yearly energy savings of about 11 gigawatt-hours and CO2 reductions of 6,100 tons. CO2 reduction
The building also has a wastewater treatment plant that is saving up to 31% of regular
water consumption, or about 12 million liters per year.

44. Social performance. The project purposely promoted social development and
inclusive growth. Its VPT program has provided earning opportunities to thousands of
rural women who serve as VPT operators, and has afforded telephone access to
previously unserved areas. The number of VPT operators rose from 28 at the end of
1997 to nearly 700,000 at the end of 2011. Earlier studies (1999 to 2003) reported that
the program provided modest incomes for the VPT operators. The more enterprising
operators were also able to put up new businesses from their VPT earnings. Likewise,
the program yielded economic and social benefits for VPT users, as they were able to (i)
get better prices for their produce, (ii) save trips to the town center or the city, (iii) get
in touch with family and friends, (iv) get remittance details from family members
working abroad, and (v) inquire about health-related issues. The VPT program has
received numerous international awards, including the GSM Association’s “GSM in the
Community Award” in 2000, the Petersburg Prize for “Use of Information Technology
10 Grameenphone Telecommunications Project and Grameenphone Telecommunications
Expansion Project

to Improve Poor People’s Lives” in 2004, and the International Telecommunications

Union's first “World Information Society Award” in 2006. The VPT program has been
replicated in Cambodia, Haiti, Indonesia, the Philippines, Rwanda, and Uganda.

45. However, the VPT business has changed drastically over the years. In 2001,
there was virtually no competition as there were less than 10,000 VPT operators and
Grameenphone was the only cellular service operator with coverage in many areas. The
captured market coupled with a reasonable margin over the bulk airtime rate meant
decent profits for the VPT operators. An estimated 95% of the VPT operators then were
women, so the program also promoted gender development. By the end of 2007, there
were nearly 300,000 VPT operators and the other mobile service providers had caught
up with Grameenphone in terms of network coverage. More importantly, prices of
handsets and airtime rates had fallen so low that even the less affluent could afford to
buy mobile phones. As a result, since 2008, the average monthly income of VPT
operators has dropped considerably. Also, men have taken over as VPT operators. 5 The
number of VPT operators continues to grow and the program is still relevant,
particularly in villages where a majority of the people still do not have the means to
own phones. While the program’s objective of providing economic opportunities for
women proved unsustainable, at least it was able to achieve its other main objective of
giving rural Bangladesh access to telephone services.

46. Another initiative of the company that promotes social development and
inclusive growth is its network of community information centers. Started in 2006,
these centers offer low-rate but high-speed voice, data, and other communication
services to previously unconnected people. Grameenphone currently has 502 such
centers in nearly 450 upazilas (subdistricts) and plans to establish at least one in each
of the upazilas.

47. One of Grameenphone’s value-added services is the CellBazaar, a user-

generated market where buyers and sellers are able to trade basic goods (e.g., rice,
fish, motorcycle, used goods) from their mobile phones. This earned Grameenphone
the GSM Association's Global Mobile Award for “Best Use of Mobile Social and
Economic Development” in February 2008.

48. Health and safety performance. Grameenphone regularly conducts training

and awareness programs for employees and vendors on various health, safety, security,
and environmental (HSSE) issues. For instance, in 2009 the company conducted 99
HSSE training and awareness programs for 3,294 employees and vendors. Topics
covered in these programs include general safety awareness, first aid, working at
heights, electric safety, road safety, fire fighting, and accident and incident reporting.

49. Grameenphone also carries out regular audits and inspections of suppliers and
vendors. In 2008, a Danish television documentary exposed the poor working
conditions at some of the companies that provide towers to Grameenphone and other
mobile operators. Grameenphone realized that previous inspection routines had proved
inadequate, so it immediately took steps to improve its inspections and intensify its
awareness programs. The company also formed a board subcommittee to advise
management on HSSE matters.

5
All 102 VPT operators surveyed for this evaluation report were males, but in 91% of the cases, the VPT
account had been issued to one of their female family members.
 Evaluation 11
50. In 2006, Grameenphone launched its HealthLine service, a medical call center
staffed by licensed physicians that gives Grameenphone subscribers an opportunity to
seek health-related advice or consultation through an interactive teleconference.
Grameenphone was awarded the GSM Association's Global Mobile Award for “Best Use
of Mobile Social and Economic Development” for its HealthLine service in 2007.
Corporate social responsibility initiatives of Grameenphone in health and safety include
the Safe Motherhood and Infant Care Program, Free Eye Camps, Free Cancer
Treatment, National Immunization Day Awareness, and Empowering the Intellectually
Challenged.

51. Environmental, social, health, and safety performance rating. The project
standards are visible and replicable in the industry, which contributes to higher overall
ESHS standards. The direct and wider positive impacts are sustainable and more than
compensate for any negative impact caused by the project. The project’s ESHS
performance is rated excellent.

C. ADB Investment Profitability

52. Equity investment. ADB invested $1.6 million in the ordinary shares of
Grameenphone in 1999. The FIRR on ADB’s investment exceeded the threshold for an
excellent rating of 1.3 times the at-approval minimum return expectation. ADB
investment profitability on the equity investment is therefore rated excellent.

53. Loans. For the Grameenphone Telecommunications Project,6 the ADB pricing
was identical to that of IFC and CDC. For the Grameenphone Telecommunications
Expansion Project,7 the ADB pricing was identical to that of IFC and Norfund.

54. The fees and margins on the two loans were also similar to those of other ADB
nonsovereign infrastructure loans that were approved at about the same time. All
principal repayments and interest payments were made on time. In line with ADB
guidelines, since the project loans’ fees and margins as multiples of the comparator
loans are at least 0.9 times but below 1.5 times, ADB's investment profitability on the
loans is rated satisfactory.8

55. ADB investment profitability rating. Considering the excellent rating for the
equity investment and the satisfactory rating for the loans, ADB’s overall investment
profitability is rated excellent.

D. ADB Work Quality

56. ADB did satisfactory work in three categories: (i) screening, appraisal, and
structuring; (ii) monitoring and supervision; and (iii) role and contribution.

6
ADB. 1997. Report and Recommendation of the President to the Board of Directors: Proposed Loan to
Bangladesh for the Grameenphone Telecommunications Project. Manila.
7
ADB. 2003. Report and Recommendation of the President to the Board of Directors: Proposed Loan to
Bangladesh for the Grameenphone Telecommunications Expansion Project. Manila.
8
Multiples above 1.5 times are rated excellent, those below 0.9 times are rated less than satisfactory, and
those below 0.7 times are rated unsatisfactory.
12 Grameenphone Telecommunications Project and Grameenphone Telecommunications
Expansion Project

1. Screening, Appraisal, and Structuring

57. The project was first brought to the attention of ADB by Grameen Bank in
December 1995. Two other project sponsors, Gonofone and Telenor, visited ADB in
May and December 1996 to request financing totaling $50 million. ADB recognized the
tremendous potential of the project for achieving development, economic, and
financial outcomes, but it was also cognizant of the risks associated with such a high-
profile project. During fact finding in April 1997, the sponsors informed the ADB
mission that the scope of the project would be expanded from what was originally
planned at the concept clearance stage, but they did not provide a market study to
justify the faster rollout and a financial model to illustrate the viability of the revised
plan. ADB insisted that these be delivered to its satisfaction before completing the fact-
finding mission. The expanded scope also meant an increase in the requested financing
so ADB brought IFC and CDC to the project. The three institutions agreed in 1997 to
jointly proceed.

58. The project completion report (PCR) on Grameenphone Telecommunications,9

which was completed in 2005, reported that the strategic project sponsor was
dissatisfied with the slow processing by ADB and expressed in a letter of 17 July 1997
that IFC and CDC might be able to close the financing sooner, as they were more
experienced in private sector telecommunications projects. However, considering that
the letter was sent less than 3 months after the fact-finding mission and that not all of
the assessments had been completed, ADB was prudent not to have fast-tracked the
project. ADB conducted three more missions in 1997 before its Board approved the
equity investment and loan in January 1998.

59. ADB’s front-end work quality materially met its good practice standards. ADB's
performance in screening, appraisal, and structuring is therefore rated satisfactory.

2. Monitoring and Supervision

60. For Grameenphone Telecommunications (footnote 6), ADB conducted review

missions in 1998, 1999, 2002, and 2003. The PCR noted that it took more than 3 years
for ADB to conduct its first review mission after financial closing of the project in July
1999. It cited capacity constraints at ADB and a strong strategic sponsor as the reasons
why the project was not reviewed more regularly. The PCR nonetheless concluded that
a high-profile project such as Grameenphone would have justified more regular visits.
This evaluation report concurs with that assessment. ADB did not conduct any review
mission for the Grameenphone Telecommunications Expansion (footnote 7).

61. A review of the project documents revealed that ADB received status reports
from Grameenphone in May and June of 2000 but none thereafter until July 2002 (in
preparation for ADB’s first review mission). There were also instances when ADB had to
request certain documents from IFC because ADB could not locate them in its files.
Grameenphone began submitting more regular reports to ADB from 2005, including
environmental and social annual monitoring reports, annual reviews of operations,
status reports, and corporate annual reports.

9
ADB. 2005. Project Completion Report: Equity Investment and Loan to Grameenphone
Telecommunications Project in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Manila.
 Evaluation 13
62. ADB’s supervision practices were inadequate for monitoring the performance
of the project and Grameenphone, particularly during the crucial early years. ADB's
performance in monitoring and supervision is rated less than satisfactory.

3. ADB's Role and Contribution

63. The project was consistent with ADB’s operational strategy 10 to promote private
sector development in Bangladesh, which included support for infrastructure
development such as power, ports, gas, and telecommunications. It was also in line
with ADB's medium-term priorities of creating better opportunities for the poor and
improving human development.

64. The PCR assessed that ADB could have played a more central role in furthering
the project and that it instead became a follower to CDC and IFC. However, a review of
project documents revealed that ADB stayed engaged in and committed to the project.
IFC was designated as the coordinator for the three institutional investors, but this does
not necessarily diminish ADB’s role and contribution. The PCR likewise criticized ADB for
the slow processing of the equity investment and loan, citing that Grameen Bank first
approached ADB as early as 1995. However, it was premature to process anything at
this stage, because there was no project entity yet and MOPT had not granted the
cellular service licenses. ADB also provided small-scale technical assistance in 1997 to
support MOPT in sector development and reform issues, including promoting a
strategic vision for the sector.

65. ADB's role and contribution were in line with its operating strategies, policies,
and standards, and are rated satisfactory.

4. ADB’s Overall Work Quality Rating

66. Based on the component ratings of satisfactory for screening, appraisal, and
structuring; less than satisfactory for monitoring and supervision; and satisfactory for
role and contribution. ADB's overall work quality is rated less than satisfactory.

E. ADB Additionality
67. ADB’s equity investment and loans to Grameenphone were provided at a time
when commercial lending was hard to come by. According to project documents, ADB ADB finance
and IFC even contacted commercial lenders to assess the availability of a and its role in
complementary financing scheme, but the response was unfavorable mainly due to
perceived country and project risks. bringing in
both IFC and
68. The project sponsors increased their request for financial assistance during fact CDC were seen
finding. The revised project size required the participation of three financial institutions
due to exposure limits. ADB finance and its role in bringing in both IFC and CDC were
as necessary
therefore seen as a necessary condition for the timely realization of the project. condition for
Without ADB participation, the project most likely would have gone ahead, but the timely
Grameenphone may not have been able to expand its network coverage and capacity
as quickly as it did, which was a key element of its overall business strategy.
realization of
the project
69. Based on the foregoing, ADB's additionality is rated excellent.

10
ADB. 1999. Bangladesh: Country Operational Strategy—Responding to the Challenge of Poverty. Manila.
14 Grameenphone Telecommunications Project and Grameenphone Telecommunications
Expansion Project

F. Overall Project Rating

70. Table 2 summarizes the component ratings for the project and reflects the
highly successful overall rating. ADB guidelines require an excellent rating for
development outcomes and impact, and at least satisfactory ratings for the three other
criteria, for a project to be rated highly successful overall. But they also allow
exceptions when justified. This is one of those exceptions, as three of the criteria were
rated excellent and one was rated less than satisfactory. In particular, the exceptionally
high development outcomes and impact of the project clearly overshadow the less than
satisfactory rating for ADB's work quality, a rating that was solely due to the
inadequate monitoring and supervision of a well-progressing project. The project
therefore merits an overall rating of highly successful.

Table 2: Performance of ADB’s Investment in Grameenphone

Less than
Item Unsatisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Excellent
A. Development Impact X
1. Private sector X
development
2. Business success X
3. Contribution to X
economic development
4. Environmental, social, X
health, and safety
performance
B. ADB Investment X
Profitability
C. ADB Work Quality X
1. Screening, appraisal, X
and structuring
2. Monitoring and X
supervision
3. ADB role and X
contribution
D. ADB Additionality X
Overall assessment and rating Highly successful
ADB = Asian Development Bank.
Source: Asian Development Bank reports.
CHAPTER 3
Lessons and Issues

71. This section identifies (i) lessons learned from the project which ADB can use to
improve the design and implementation of future projects, and (ii) issues arising from
the evaluation.

A. Lessons
72. The need for thorough review of legal documents. The flaw in the wording
in one of the agreements could have been avoided. ADB needs to thoroughly review all
legal documents, particularly those that could cause it financial or reputational harm.

73. The importance of strong project sponsors. The project clearly demonstrated
the importance of strong and committed project sponsors to help ensure the success of
a project. Telenor had the technical competence, managerial skills, and extensive
telecommunications experience to run a world-class telecommunications operation in
Bangladesh. Grameen Bank, for its part, had the brand recognition and distribution
network to help market Grameenphone’s services in both urban and rural areas. Both
companies have also observed high ethical standards. These are the types of sponsors
that ADB should be looking for in future private sector projects.

B. Issues
74. Fees and taxes. The various fees and taxes that the government levies on the
industry are very high. Other than those enumerated in para. 32, mobile operators also
have to pay spectrum charges when renewing their licenses. The 2G (second-
generation) licenses of four mobile operators that expired in November 2011 were not
immediately renewed because the operators objected to the unduly high spectrum
charges and the ambiguous way they were computed. The operators brought the
matter to the High Court and although some of the cases are still pending, the licenses
were renewed in August 2012, after MOPT and the Ministry of Finance intervened. All
of these fees have made it very difficult for the operators to be profitable. In fact, only
Grameenphone was making a profit as of 2011. The government is clearly trying to
raise as much revenue from the fastest growing sector of the economy as possible. In
June 2012, it announced that it planned to introduce yet another 2% tax on mobile
phone usage, which consumers would pay when buying a new prepaid reload card or
paying their monthly mobile bills. This move would only dampen demand, just like the
SIM card tax. And at the rate that the mobile operators are losing money, there might
be fewer players in the near future, which is not good for the industry, the consumers,
and the country in the long run. ADB needs to consider raising these issues in policy
dialogues with the government. In its comment to the draft performance evaluation
report, the Private Sector Operations Department stated that it facilitated meetings for
Grameenphone with the South Asia Regional Department so that the latter could take
this issue up during policy discussions with the government.
Appendixes
APPENDIX 1: THE BANGLADESH TELECOMMUNICATIONS SECTOR

A. Brief History
1. In 1996, Bangladesh had a telephone density of about 0.3 lines per 100 inhabitants—the 13th
lowest in the world and third lowest in Asia at that time. Seventy percent of telephone lines were
located in three metropolitan areas—Chittagong, Dhaka, and Khulna. The rest of the country had less
than one telephone per 1,000 inhabitants. The sector players during this time were (i) the Bangladesh
Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB), which was owned by the government and was the dominant
service provider with about 350,000 subscribers; (ii) two rural service providers offering primarily pay
telephone services in district centers with about 20,000 subscribers; and (iii) Citycell, a mobile phone
operator with about 20,000 subscribers. In November 1996, the Ministry of Posts and
Telecommunications (MOPT) licensed three additional companies to provide nationwide mobile
telephone services: Grameenphone Limited (Grameenphone), Telekom Malaysia International, and
Sheba Telecom.

2. The three new mobile operators started operations in 1997 with limited coverage in the capital
city of Dhaka. With Grameenphone leading the way, the operators expanded their network coverage
and introduced new products. The number of subscribers grew from less than 100,000 in 1998 to over
1 million in 2002. Two additional mobile operator licenses were issued in 2005 and 2007. As shown in
Figure A1, the total number of mobile subscribers reached 85 million in 2011, while mobile teledensity
improved to 56 per 100 inhabitants.

Figure A1: Number of Mobile Phone Subscribers and Mobile

Teledensity, 2000–2011
100 100
90 90
80 80
70 70
60 60
50 50
40 40
30 30
20 20
10 10
0 0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Number of mobile phone subscribers (millions)
Mobile phone teledensity (per 100 inhabitants)

Sources: Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Board; International Telecommunications Union.

3. Despite the vast improvement in mobile teledensity, Bangladesh still ranks among the lowest in
the region—28th out of 39 developing member countries of the Asian Development Bank, and 5th
among 6 South Asian developing member countries, topping only Nepal with 44 lines per 100
inhabitants. Its fixed-line teledensity has also remained low, barely improving from 0.3 in 1996 to 1.06
in 2011.
18 Appendix 1

B. Regulatory Framework
4. The provision of telecommunications services and regulation of the sector were originally
carried out by the BTTB under the BTTB Ordinance of 1979. In 1995, the ordinance was amended with
BTTB retaining responsibility for development and operation of the public telephone network and
MOPT assuming responsibility for issuing licenses to new entrants and for regulating their operations.
In 1998, the government adopted the National Telecommunications Policy, the main thrust of which
was to allow the private sector to increase its role in telecommunications.

5. In 2001, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) was established

under the Bangladesh Telecommunication Act 2001 as an independent regulator. However, as per
amendments to the Telecommunication Act 2001 in 2010, certain powers to regulate the
telecommunications sector have been transferred back to MOPT.

6. Under previous licensing arrangements, all mobile operators were required to pay an annual
license fee of Tk50 million, quarterly spectrum charges, and 5.5% of revenues. However, under the new
licensing framework, operators will have to pay 6.5% of revenues (inclusive of a 1% contribution to a
social obligation fund) and revised spectrum charge rates. On 9 June 2011, the SIM tax was reduced
from Tk800 to Tk605 (SIM stands for subscriber identity module). SIM tax has to be paid on the
purchase of a SIM. Handsets incur a 12% duty at import. Corporate income tax is 45% for mobile
service providers, which falls to 35% if a company maintains a 10% listing on the country’s exchanges.

C. Industry Players
7. Aside from Grameenphone, the five other mobile phone operators in Bangladesh are Orascom
Telecom Bangladesh (Banglalink), Robi Axiata (Robi), Warid Telecom (Airtel), Teletalk, and Citycell.

8. Orascom Telecom Bangladesh was formerly known as Sheba Telecom and was a 100%
Bangladeshi-owned company. It received its license in 1996 and began operations in 1997. In 2004,
Orascom Telecom Holding (Egypt) bought 100% of Sheba Telecom. The telephone service was
rebranded and launched as Banglalink in 2005. Within 1 year of operations, Banglalink attained a
subscriber base of 1 million through its aggressive marketing and pricing strategy targeted at different
age groups. As of the end of 2011, Orascom had 23.7 million subscribers and a market share of 27.8%.
It also reported retained losses of Tk35.8 billion.

9. Robi Axiata is a joint venture between Axiata Group (Malaysia), owning 70%, and NTT DoCoMo
(Japan), with a 30% stake. It was formerly known as Telekom Malaysia International (Bangladesh) and
began operations in Bangladesh in 1997 with the brand name Aktel. In March 2010, the service name
was rebranded as Robi and the company came to be known as Robi Axiata. As of the end of 2011,
Axiata was the third-largest operator in the country, with a market share of 18.9% and a subscriber
base of about 16.1 million. Although no annual reports were available, press releases reported that
Robi finally showed net profits in the first two quarters of 2012.

10. Warid Telecom is the latest entrant of the six players, receiving a license in 2005 and starting
operations in 2007. Warid Telecom was formed by the Abu Dhabi Group, one of the largest groups in
the Middle East and in Pakistan. India’s Bharti acquired a 70% stake in Warid in 2010 and the
telephone service was relaunched as Airtel. Airtel had 6.0 million subscribers as of the end of 2011,
representing 7.1% of the market.

11. Citycell was the first mobile service provider of Bangladesh. It was awarded a wireless
communication license in 1989 and started operations in 1993. It is now owned by the Pacific Group
(31%), Far East Telecom (24%), and SingTel (45%). Citycell is also the only operator using the CDMA
 The Bangladesh Telecommunications Sector 19
(Code Division Multiple Access) technology in Bangladesh. It applied for a change to GSM (Global
System for Mobile Communications) as early as 2005, but got approval from the BTRC only in 2012.
Despite a head start over competition, Citycell had the second-lowest number of subscribers at the end
of 2011 with 1.8 million.

12. Teletalk, fully owned by the Government of Bangladesh, was incorporated in December 2004 as
a public limited company. It is the smallest player in the industry with a 1.4% market share and 1.2
million subscribers.
APPENDIX 2: VILLAGE PAY TELEPHONE PROGRAM

A. Introduction
1. The village pay telephone (VPT) program is one of the key components of the Grameenphone
project. From a development perspective, the program aimed to provide telephone services to people in
rural areas. Villagers used to travel to the nearest town just to make a call. The program also sought to
provide economic opportunities to rural women who serve as VPT operators.

2. From a business standpoint, the program allowed Grameenphone to target the rural segment
of the market, thereby expanding its subscriber base faster than its competitors. The program was also
expected to generate higher average revenue per user (ARPU) than the regular mobile service because
of the higher traffic volumes per village phone.

B. Program Features
3. Institutions involved. Three institutions are involved in the VPT program: (i) Grameen Telecom
(GTC) manages and operates the program, (ii) Grameenphone provides the cellular service, and (iii)
Grameen Bank provides credit for the cellular phones and also collects payments for airtime charges.

4. Selection of program operators. The selection process starts with a GTC officer checking if the
mobile signal strength in the candidate village is strong and stable enough to operate the village phone.
Working with Grameen Bank, the GTC officer then identifies and encourages Grameen Bank members
from the village to become VPT operators. Since Grameen Bank provides unsecured loans to the VPT
operators for the purchase of the mobile phones, it requires that the prospective VPT operator (i) has a
very good record of repayment of Grameen Bank loans, (ii) is literate or at least has children who are
literate, (iii) preferably has a successful business, and (iv) resides near the center of the village.

5. Phone user subscription and training. GTC buys a cellular phone user subscription from
Grameenphone on behalf of the VPT operator. GTC also supplies the cellular phone (and antenna if
necessary) and provides training on the use and maintenance of the phone and how to run the VPT
business. GTC also provides the VPT operator with suggested call rates for outgoing and incoming calls
and for peak and off-peak hours.

6. Program mechanics. A villager who wants to make an outgoing call visits the VPT center,
which is either the residence or the place of business of the VPT operator. For incoming calls, the VPT
operator usually takes the phone to the house of the call recipient. Alternatively, the caller makes a call
at a predetermined time and the recipient is at the VPT center to take the call. The VPT operator usually
charges extra for bringing the phone to the call recipient.

7. Grameenphone prepares a monthly bill for each VPT operator based on the bulk airtime rate
under the program and the total number of minutes consumed. GTC sends the bill to the VPT operator
and Grameen Bank collects the money for the airtime bill, the monthly fee for the line, a GTC service
charge, applicable taxes and government fees, and the installment on the handset.
 Village Pay Telephone Program 21

C. Progress and Impact

8. The VPT program started slower than expected. The report and recommendation of the
President (RRP) for Grameenphone Telecommunications1 estimated that there would be about 16,500
VPT operators by the end of 2001, but the actual figures were much lower at 9,200. However, by the
time the second loan was appraised in December 2003, the number of operators had increased fivefold
to 46,300, exceeding the projected 38,800 operators. The number of operators rose to 417,600 by the
end of 2008, exceeding the projection of 85,500 in the RRP for Investment No. 7194. There were
672,955 active VPT operators as of the end of 2011. Figure A2.1 compares the projected and actual
numbers of VPT operators from 1998 to 2011.

Figure A2.1: Projected vs. Actual Numbers of Village Pay Telephone

Operators, 1998–2011
800

700
Number of Operators ('000)

600

500

400

300

200

100

0
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Projected 1 5 10 17 23 39 53 65 74 77 86
Actual 0 1 3 9 23 46 94 191 281 297 418 419 557 673

Note: Projections were made only up to 2008.

Sources: Asian Development Bank report and recommendation of the President; Grameenphone; Grameen Telecom.

9. While the number of VPT operators continues to grow, their income continues to slide. VPT
monthly ARPU declined from a high of Tk6,680 in April 2003 to only Tk330 by December 2011. Factors
contributing to lower incomes included: (i) lower call rates and margins due to price wars; (ii)
competition from other, non-Grameenphone operators and other VPT operators; and (iii) more people
having their own phones as a result of lower handset and airtime costs.

1
ADB. 1998. Report and Recommendation of the President to the Board of Directors: Equity Investment to Bangladesh for the
Grameenphone Telecommunications Project. Manila.
22 Appendix 2

10. There are several independent studies on the VPT program, most of which were done during its
early years (1999–2003). The studies show that the VPT operators made decent profits that ranged
from $40 to $300 and averaged $70 per month. This represented a substantial 20%–50% of the VPT
operators’ household incomes. The more enterprising operators were also able to set up new
businesses from their VPT earnings. An estimated 95% of the registered VPT operators then were
women, so the program also promoted gender development. 2

11. The program yielded economic and social benefits for VPT users as well, as they were able to (i)
get better prices for their produce, (ii) save trips to the town center or the city, (iii) keep in touch with
family and friends, (iv) get remittance details from family members working abroad, (v) get better
exchange rates for the remittances, and (vi) inquire about health-related issues. The VPT program has
received numerous international awards, including the GSM Association’s “GSM in the Community
Award” in 2000, the Petersburg Prize for “Use of Information Technology to Improve Poor People’s
Lives” in 2004, and the International Telecommunications Union's first “World information Society
Award” in 2006. The VPT program has been replicated in Cambodia, Haiti, Indonesia, the Philippines,
Rwanda, and Uganda.

D. Survey and Survey Results

12. Methodology. The performance evaluation team conducted a survey among VPT operators
and users to establish the socioeconomic benefits of the VPT program. This entailed face-to-face
interviews using a structured questionnaire. The sample size was 100 VPT operators and 300 end-users.

13. Multistage sampling was done as follows: (i) stage 1—random selection of 20 districts out of
all the districts (except one of the districts had to be Dhaka); (ii) stage 2—random selection of
5 villages per district; (iii) stage 3—in each chosen village, one VPT operator was selected through
purposive sampling; (iv) stage 4—in each chosen village, three households were selected via interval
sampling, and in each selected household one end-user was interviewed. For eligibility, VPT operators
had to have been operators for at least 12 months, while end-users had to have used the service in the
past 12 months.

14. The survey was conducted from 22 November 2011 to 6 December 2011. The research firm
contracted to do the survey interviewed 102 VPT operators and 306 VPT users.

15. Findings on operators. One of the interesting findings of the survey was that 100% of the VPT
operators interviewed were males. However, only 9% of the respondents were members of Grameen
Bank. The other 91% used VPT user subscriptions issued to female relatives who are members of
Grameen Bank. A majority of the VPT operators (54%) were the only earning members of their
households. All the operators were literate, and 85% had at least 6 years of schooling. The operators
lived in villages with populations ranging from 400 to 20,000 and averaging 3,800. Nearly 66% of the
respondents had monthly household incomes in the Tk6,000–Tk15,000 range.

2
A study that was completed in March 2000 noted that while 95% of Grameen Bank members were women, 25% of the VPT
operators interviewed for the study were men.
 Village Pay Telephone Program 23
16. The respondents had been VPT operators from 2 to 18 years, averaging 11 years. Many of them
had been active in trading (79%) or farming (35%) before they became VPT operators. A majority of the
respondents (58%) had monthly incomes of Tk6,000 or less before they became VPT operators. By the
time the survey was conducted, only 19% had monthly incomes of Tk6,000 or less. On a weighted
average basis, the monthly household income was Tk7,300 before the respondents became VPT
operators, and Tk11,500 as of November 2011. The improvement in the household incomes may be
attributed partly to the VPT business and partly to inflation and other factors.

17. About 43% of the operators paid cash for the handsets they are using. Of the 57% that opted
to pay the handsets off in monthly installments, a vast majority (78%) was able to do so in 1 year or
less. The 21 respondents who were already operating in 2001 recalled that the per-minute cost of the
airtime purchased from Grameen Telecom was Tk4.30 on average. This went down to Tk2.94 in 2006
(75 respondents) and to Tk1.13 in 2011 (102 respondents). The operators charge Tk2.00 per minute for
outgoing domestic calls, or almost twice the airtime cost. For outgoing international calls, they charge
premiums ranging from 2% to 50% and averaging 20% over standard international call rates.

18. Nearly half of the VPT operators (49%) had 10 to 20 regular customers, 25% had less than 10
regular customers, and 26% had anywhere from 25 to 200 regular customers. The average number of
customers was around 23. The operators estimated that only 20% of their regular customers were
female.

19. About half of the respondents (52%) estimated their monthly income from the VPT business at
Tk100–Tk500, 24% estimated it at Tk501–Tk1,000, and 24% at Tk1,001–Tk5,000. The weighted average
monthly income from the VPT was Tk830. A majority of the respondents (58%) estimated that their VPT
business accounted for 10% or less of their household income, while 30% estimated that the business
accounted for a substantially bigger percentage (20% to 35%) of their household income. The average
was computed at 12% of household income.

20. An overwhelming majority (86%) of the operators said that their monthly income from the VPT
business decreased between 2010 and 2011. They attributed this to more people in their village having
their own cell phones (98%), competition from non-Grameenphone operators (55%), and lower
margins (30%).

21. Almost 75% of the respondents were able to start other businesses as a result of being a VPT
operator. Most of these businesses were related to mobile telephony, such as mobile phone repair
(26%), flexiload business (36%), sales of SIM cards (4%), and cell phone handsets and accessories (5%).
Non-related businesses were very diverse, but the more common ones were cosmetics shops (21%) and
electronics repair (11%).
24 Appendix 2

22. A majority of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed with statements that being a VPT
operator (i) enhanced their status in the household (94%), (ii) elevated their status in the village (95%),
(iii) boosted their self-confidence (96%), (iv) increased their knowledge about market prices of products
and supplies (88%), and (v) increased their knowledge about health issues (75%). Similarly, a majority
of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statements that the VPT program (i) greatly
improved the livelihood of and earning opportunities for the villagers (87%), (ii) greatly improved the
health and well-being of the villagers (69%), (iii) greatly improved the safety and security of the
villagers (95%), (iv) contributed immensely to poverty reduction in the village (82%), (v) contributed
immensely to social development in the village (88%), and (vi) contributed immensely to empowering
women in the village (75%). It should be noted that the first five questions were intended to find out if
women believed that they were empowered by the program. But since all the respondents were men,
the survey was not successful in determining this.

23. Forty-four of the respondents (43%) used only Grameenphone’s VPT mobile services. The other
58 respondents used the services of at least one other mobile operator—72% used Robi, 69% used
Banglalink, 17% used Citycell, 12% used Teletalk, and 9% used Airtel.

24. Findings on users. For the VPT user survey, a screening question for eligibility was whether the
interviewee used the VPT service to make phone calls in the past 12 months. The survey team was also
requested to count the number of interviews that were terminated because of ineligibility to find out
how many were not using the service. One of the important findings was that only 4% of the people
approached used the VPT service. The VPT users stated that 100% of the VPT operators they often use
are males, which confirms the VPT operator survey finding.

25. A majority of the users interviewed were males (82%), married (78%), and literate (87%). Their
ages ranged from 15 to 90 years, averaging 34 years. They lived in households with 2 to 21 members,
averaging 5 members. The average monthly household income was Tk9,000 but almost half (49%) had
incomes of Tk6,000 or less. Most of the respondents were active in farming and livestock (47%) or
trading (44%).

26. For domestic calls, the users pay Tk2 per minute. The average duration of a domestic call is 5
minutes. Only 44 of the 306 respondents (14%) make regular international calls to family members
working in Saudi Arabia (41%), the United Arab Emirates (30%), India (14%), Malaysia (11%), and a
few other countries. The call rates varied widely even to the same country. For instance, the end-users
paid anywhere from Tk10 to Tk30 per minute for outgoing calls to Saudi Arabia. This confirms the VPT
operator survey findings that they charge a 2% to 50% premium for outgoing international calls. The
average duration of an international call is 4 minutes. When asked how much they spend per month
on VPT calls, 53% of the end-users said less than Tk100, 30% said Tk100–Tk200, and the remaining 17%
said anywhere between Tk220 and Tk1,500.
27. Almost all the users (97%) said they use the VPT to keep in touch with family and friends.
Eighty-eight of the respondents (36%) also use the VPT for business, specifically to check market prices
for their products, call clients, and check prices of supplies. A vast majority of the respondents (92%)
also said that the VPT call saves them a trip to the city, many of whom (53%) are more than 45 minutes
away from the nearest one. A one-way trip to the city ranges from Tk10 to Tk300, averaging Tk55—or
five times the cost of a 5-minute call.
 Village Pay Telephone Program 25
28. An overwhelming majority of the respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of
the calls using Grameenphone (96%) and the quality of their services (92%). A vast majority of the VPT
user respondents also agreed or strongly agreed with the statements that the VPT program (i) greatly
improved the livelihood of and earning opportunities for the villagers (96%), (ii) greatly improved the
health and wellbeing of the villagers (89%), (iii) greatly improved the safety and security of the villagers
(88%), (iv) contributed immensely to poverty reduction in the village (85%), (v) contributed immensely
to social development in the village (85%), and (vi) contributed immensely to empowering women in
the village (75%).

29. Summary and conclusion. The most interesting and unexpected finding of the survey was that
men have taken over the VPT business. All the VPT operators interviewed were males and all the users
interviewed also said that the VPT operators they usually go to are males. The method for selecting the
VPT operator to be interviewed may have reduced the probability of women VPT operators to be
chosen, because the interviewers purposely chose main business centers in each village to conduct the
survey. Women are more likely to operate from home whereas men are more likely to operate from
business centers. Nonetheless, it was apparent from the survey that it was common practice for women
to be the registered VPT operator subscriber but that the men were the ones actually managing the
business.

30. It also became clear from the survey, and was confirmed by the ARPU data from Grameen
Telecom, that the earnings of the VPT operators have fallen substantially. At least some of those who
started the VPT business early were able to put up other businesses. As stated by one Grameen Telecom
official, “The program is not dead, but it is no longer the way out of poverty.” 3

31. There is also less demand for the VPT program because more people have their own phones as
a result of more affordable handsets and airtime rates. For now, the VPT program remains relevant, at
least for people who still cannot afford a phone.

3
R. Shaffer. 2007. Unplanned Obsolescence. Fast Company. http://www.fastcompany.com/60302/unplanned-obsolescence.
APPENDIX 3: PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS AND
RATINGS

Indicators Ratings a Justifications and Annotations

1. Impact beyond the Company

The project has made a very substantial
1.1 Private sector expansion: A pioneering Excellent
contribution to the growth of the
or high-profile project contributes by
telecommunications industry and to more private
facilitating in its own right, or paving the
participation in the sector.
way for, more private participation in the
sector and the economy at large.
The telecommunications sector has grown
tremendously. As a component of GDP, it was
the best-performing sector of the economy in
the past 10 years, with a growth rate of 21.2%
per year in constant prices from 2001 to 2010.
Grameenphone contributed greatly to this
growth. Its revenues averaged 36% of the
sector's share in GDP during this period, and its
net profits averaged 8%.

The project has created a lot of earning

opportunities. Aside from Grameenphone's 5,000
employees, an estimated 350,000 people benefit
from the company by working for the dealers,
retailers, vendors, suppliers, contractors, and
other business partners of Grameenphone.

The VPT program has created entrepreneurial

opportunities for nearly 700,000 people who
serve as VPT operators. Studies have shown that
some of these operators diversified into other
businesses, related or unrelated, such as mobile
phone repair centers, electronic reload and
scratch outlets, and trading.

The success of Grameenphone may have also

encouraged the entry of other foreign players:
(i) Orascom Telecom Holding (Egypt)
bought 100% of Sheba Telecom
(Bangladesh) in 2004;
(ii) SingTel (Singapore) bought a 45% stake
in Pacific Bangladesh Telecom in 2005;
(iii) Abu Dhabi Group (United Arab
Emirates) formed Warid Telecom and
became the latest cellular service
operator in 2007;
(iv) NTT DoCoMo (Japan) bought the 30%
share of AK Khan Group (Bangladesh) in
Aktel in 2008; and
(v) Bharti Airtel (India) bought a 70% stake
in Warid in 2010.
The decision of the government to award three
1.2 Competition: Places pressure on Excellent
additional cellular phone operator licenses in
public and other sector players to increase
1996 basically ensured that there was going to
efficiency and improve access and service
be competition in the telecommunications
levels in the industry.
industry, but Grameenphone has played a critical
 Private Sector Development Indicators and Ratings 27
Indicators Ratings a Justifications and Annotations
role by setting high operational, financial, and
ethical standards for the rest of the industry to
follow. The BTRC acknowledges that
Grameenphone is the industry’s “torchbearer”.

Since 1998, Grameenphone has had the biggest

share of the mobile market despite the big head
start by Citycell, which began operations in
1993, and the addition of two other players in
2005 and 2007. Although financial statements of
the other operators are not available, the BTRC
and AMTOB, as well as several publications,
confirm that Grameenphone is currently the only
profitable mobile phone operator.

Grameenphone’s strategy to invest heavily in

infrastructure has paid off handsomely, as it was
able to expand its subscriber base much faster
than the competition due to its wider network
coverage and higher system capacity. Starting in
2010, the company helped improve efficiency in
the industry by entering into infrastructure-
sharing arrangements with the other operators.
Excellent Grameenphone uses the same GSM platform
1.3 Innovation: Demonstrates
that four of the other five operators are using.
efficient new products and services in
What sets it apart from the other operators is
areas such as marketing, distribution,
that it is usually the first to introduce new
tariffs, production, and technology; and
products and innovative, value added services to
ways to cover or contain cost, manage
the market:
demand, etc.
(i) First to launch the prepaid service in
1999
(ii) First to establish 24-hour call center
(iii) First to offer EDGE services (for internet
access) in 2005
(iv) Introduced HealthLine in 2006
(v) Introduced CellBazaar in 2006

The VPT program is perhaps the project’s

greatest innovation.
The project contributed to notable links.
1.4 Links: Relative to investments, the Excellent
Grameenphone does business with 1,200
project contributes to notable upstream or
enterprises, around half of which are local. These
downstream link effects to business
include tower manufacturers, printers, civil
clients, consumers, suppliers, key
works, food and water vendors, and suppliers of
industries, etc., in support of growth.
equipment and transport.

Downstream links include around 14,000 retail

outlets, 100,000 reload points, and nearly
700,000 VPT operators.
In 2008, the company issued 425 unsecured and
1.5 Catalytic element: Contributes by Satisfactory
nonconvertible bonds, denominated at Tk10
pioneering or catalyzing finance, and
million each, over two tranches; the first with a
mobilizing or inducing more local or
540-day term, the other with a 720-day term.
foreign market financing and foreign
While the bonds are not listed on any of the
direct investment in the sector.
bourses, the free transferability structure ensures
that the financial instruments can be easily
bought and sold over the counter. The bonds
28 Appendix 3

Indicators Ratings a Justifications and Annotations

were the first of their kind in the Bangladesh
capital market. Notably, the Credit Rating Agency
of Bangladesh rated both Grameenphone and
the bonds AAA.

In 2009, Grameenphone conducted the largest

IPO in Bangladesh, which was three times
oversubscribed. It raised Tk4.86 billion
($70 million) from the offering. The shares were
listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange and the
Chittagong Stock Exchange in the same year.

Grameenphone’s market capitalization

represented 10.9% of the total market
capitalization of the Dhaka exchange as of the
end of 2011.
The project has had minimal effects on the
1.6 Affected laws, frameworks, Not rated
regulatory framework of the telecommunication
regulations: Contributes to improving laws
industry. Grameenphone has gone to court
and sector regulation for liberalized
several times to challenge various rulings by the
markets for greater sector efficiency.
BTRC, the industry regulator, particularly the
taxes and fees being levied on it.
2. Company Impact with Wider Potential
The technological know-how and managerial
2.1 Skills contribution: Contributes to Excellent
expertise of Telenor has been instrumental in
new strategic, managerial, and operational
setting up an international-standard mobile
skills, with actual or potential wider
phone operation in Bangladesh. Telenor has
replication in the sector and industry.
more than 155 years of telecommunication
experience. Aside from Norway and Bangladesh,
Telenor owns mobile telephony companies in
Denmark, Finland, Hungary, India, Malaysia,
Montenegro, Pakistan, Thailand, Serbia, and
Sweden. Including its 31.7% ownership stake in
VimpelCom, Telenor had more than 330 million
mobile subscriptions worldwide as of 31
December 2011.

Being one of the pioneers in developing the GSM

service in Europe, Telenor has also helped
transfer this knowledge to local employees.
Grameenphone has the largest number of
2.2 Demonstration of new standards: As Satisfactory
points-of-sale distribution, because it takes a
seen in ways to operate the business and
more active role than competitors in partnering
compete, and in investee performance
with distributors through training, co-branding
against relevant best industry benchmarks
and co-advertising.
and standards.
Grameenphone has observed high standards of
2.3 Better governance: As evident in Excellent
corporate governance. It takes its cue from the
standards for corporate governance,
parent company of its major shareholder,
stakeholder’s relations, environmental,
Telenor.
health, and safety performance, and
energy conservation.
Grameenphone had been publishing annual
reports even before it became a publicly listed
company. The reports do not only summarize the
company’s operational and financial
achievements for the year, but also include the
 Private Sector Development Indicators and Ratings 29
Indicators Ratings a Justifications and Annotations
organizational structure of the company, the
profiles of the board of directors and the
management team, and their corporate
governance practices.

Grameenphone’s control environment includes

policies and procedures on financial reporting,
operational excellence, business and financial
review, management of assets, statutory and
internal audit, internal control, dividends, risk
management and mitigation, compliance with
rules and regulations of the country, ethics and
behavior, and investor relations.

Some of the recent awards and recognition that

Grameenphone received for its corporate
governance practices were the South Asian
Federation of Accountants (SAFA) award for
“Best Presented Accounts and Corporate
Governance Disclosures” in 2010 and the
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh
(ICAB) award for “Best Published Accounts &
Reports” in 2009 and 2010.
Overall Private Sector Development Excellent
Rating
ADB = Asian Development Bank, AMTOB = Association of Mobile Telecom Operators in Bangladesh, BTRC = Bangladesh
Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, EDGE = enhanced data for global evolution, GDP = gross domestic product, GSM =
Global System for Mobile Communications, IPO = initial public offering, VPT = village pay telephone.
a
Ratings scale: Unsatisfactory, Less than Satisfactory, Satisfactory, and Excellent. The rating is not an arithmetic mean of the
individual indicator ratings, and these have no fixed weights. It considers actual impact (positive or negative) and potential further
impacts as well as risk to its realization.
Source: Independent Evaluation Department.
APPENDIX 4: GRAMEENPHONE LIMITED–COMPANY PROFILE AND
PERFORMANCE

A. History and Ownership

1. The Grameenphone project was the brainchild of Iqbal Quadir, a Bangladesh-born Wharton
graduate who worked as an investment banker at Atrium Capital in New York. When he returned to
Bangladesh in 1993 after being away for 20 years, he learned that there were only two phones per
1,000 inhabitants and that the Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board, which had a monopoly of
the fixed-line network in Bangladesh, was still using old analog equipment that routinely
malfunctioned. Quadir saw an opportunity to expand telecommunications coverage, especially in rural
Bangladesh. He pitched his idea to Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank. Yunus liked the
idea but was initially unwilling to commit capital and put together the syndicate of technical and
financial partners.1

2. In 1994, Quadir established Gonofone Development Corporation to work on the venture.

Gonofone means “phone for the masses” in Bengali. The project needed a technical partner, so Quadir
talked to several American and European telecommunications companies but was rejected. Telenor
Invest of Norway finally agreed to join the project in October 1995, just in time for the submission of
proposals in November 1995 for the three cellular service licenses that the Ministry of Post and
Telecommunications was bidding out.

3. In 1996, Grameenphone was incorporated as a private limited company. Aside from Telenor
and Gonofone, the other initial owners of the company were Grameen Telecom, a nonprofit, wholly
owned subsidiary of Grameen Bank, and Marubeni Corporation, one of Japan’s largest trading
companies. Gonofone and Marubeni sold their shares to Telenor and Grameen Telecom in 2004. In
2009, Grameenphone conducted the biggest initial public offering (IPO) in Bangladesh. Table A4.1
shows the ownership structures of Grameenphone from 1996 to 2011.

Table A4.1: Ownership Structures of Grameenphone, 1996–2011

(%)

Ownership Structure
Up to Buyout of After Buyout but
Minority Before Initial Public Since Initial Public
Stockholders Offering Offering
Company (1996–2004) (2004–2009) (2009–2011)
Telenor Mobile Communications
(formerly Telenor Invest) 51.0 62.0 55.8
Grameen Telecom 35.0 38.0 34.2
Marubeni Corporation 9.5 – –
Gonofone Development 4.5 – –
General public and other institutions – – 10.0
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0
Note: Excludes non-voting shares of the Asian Development Bank, International Finance Corporation, and Commonwealth
Development Corporation.
Sources: Grameenphone annual reports and audited financial statements; Asian Development Bank report and
recommendation of the President.

1
D. Isenberg et. al. 2007. Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone. Harvard Business School.
 Private Sector Development Indicators and Ratings 31
4. In November 1996, MOPT granted Grameenphone and two other operators their cellular
licenses. Grameenphone began commercial operations on 27 March 1997. Table A4.2 lists some of the
company’s milestones.

Table A4.2: Grameenphone Milestones

Year Event

1996 Incorporated as a private limited company; awarded one of three new cellular licenses
1997 Began operations on Bangladesh Independence Day
1998 Launched mobile-to-mobile service (without landline connectivity)
1999 Launched the first prepaid service in the country
2001 Launched the WAP service to access the internet
2002 Achieved Bangladesh Business Award for “Best Joint Venture Enterprise”
2003 Launched prepaid service with landline connectivity; reached 1 million subscribers
2004 Reached 2 million subscribers
2005 Launched Electronic Recharge System, Djuice brand, EDGE, and voice SMS
2006 Launched HealthLine, Smile Prepaid & Xplore Postpaid, CellBazaar, Business Solutions for business
class and community; reached 10 million subscribers
2007 Converted to a public limited company; launched new VAS, Bull Stock Information, Missed Call
Alert, and PayForMe Service; reached 16 million subscribers
2008 Introduced BlackBerry service; reached 20 million subscribers
2009 Conducted largest IPO in Bangladesh; listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange and Chittagong Stock
Exchange; launched internet modem
2010 Launched MobiCash financial services, Ekota for small and medium-sized enterprises, Baadhon
package; reached 30 million subscribers
2011 Launched My Zone, micro SIM cards, Spondon package with 1-second pulse; Customer Experience
Lab, eCare solution; completed replacement of 7,272 BTSs; reached 36.5 million subscribers
BTS = base transceiver station, EDGE = enhanced data for global evolution, IPO = initial public offering, SIM = subscriber
identity module, SMS = short messaging service, VAS = value-added service, WAP = wireless application protocol.
Source: Grameenphone annual reports.

B. Corporate Governance
5. Grameenphone has a nine-member board of directors, including a chairman who is elected
from among the members. Telenor has five board seats and the Grameen Group has three board
seats. The company started appointing an independent director in 2010 in compliance with the
Corporate Governance Guidelines of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The board meets at
least four times a year. It has organized four committees to advise and make recommendations to the
board. These are the audit committee; the treasury committee; the human resources committee; and
the health, safety, security, and environment committee.

6. The management team is the executive committee of the company and comprises seven
members. The members of the team are the chief executive officer, the deputy chief executive and
chief financial officer, the chief people officer, the chief marketing officer, the chief communications
officer, the chief corporate affairs officer, and the chief technology officer. The team meets weekly to
monitor the business performance of the company.
32 Appendix 3

7. Grameenphone’s control environment consists of policies and procedures on financial

reporting, operational excellence, business and financial review, management of assets, statutory and
internal audit, internal control, dividends, risk management and mitigation, compliance with rules and
regulations of the country, ethics and behaviour, and investor relations. These are all described in the
company’s annual reports.

C. Operating Performance
8. Grameenphone’s initial marketing strategy was to capture market share quickly by providing
basic services at reasonable prices to the mass market. Factors critical to implementing this strategy
were (i) the lease of the fiber-optic network of Bangladesh Railways (BR); (ii) the heavy investment in
base transceiver stations (BTSs); (iii) the village pay telephone (VPT) program; (iv) the association with
the Grameen organization; and (v) the technical know-how and managerial experience of Telenor.

9. Grameenphone’s lease of BR’s 1,800-kilometer (km) fiber-optic network allowed the company
to immediately form a nationwide network to link urban and rural coverage areas into a single system.
To ensure nationwide transmission backbone and technological redundancy, Grameenphone
subsequently installed its own 2,600 km of optical fiber alongside highways and replaced 2,000 km of
BR’s network. Another key element of Grameenphone’s strategy was its decision to invest heavily in
BTSs or cell sites. Before the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved its first loan and equity
investment in January 1998, Grameenphone had 120 BTSs in the Dhaka and Chittagong districts.
When ADB approved the second loan in January 2004, Grameenphone had 653 BTSs in 59 districts.
Grameenphone continued to expand and upgrade its cell sites to extend coverage, minimize
congestion, and maintain call quality. By the end of 2011, it had 13,725 BTSs covering all districts,
90% of the land area, and 99% of the population. Figure A4.1 shows the strong correlation (0.97)
between the number of base stations and the number of subscribers of Grameenphone.

Figure A4.1: Grameenphone – Number of Base Stations and

Subscribers, 1997–2011
40,000 16,000

35,000 14,000

30,000 12,000

25,000 10,000

20,000 8,000

15,000 6,000

10,000 4,000

5,000 2,000

0 0
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Subscribers Base stations

Sources: Grameenphone annual reports.

10. The VPT program and the company’s association with the Grameen organization were
instrumental in capturing the rural segment of the market. Grameen Bank’s extensive distribution
 Private Sector Development Indicators and Ratings 33
network and credit facilities allowed rural women to purchase mobile handsets on installment and
offer telephone services in their villages. In late 1997, there were just 28 VPT operators in as many
villages. By the end of 2011, there were 672,955 active VPT operators in 83,000 of the 87,000 villages
in Bangladesh. The VPT program is discussed in greater detail in Appendix 2.

11. Telenor’s technical expertise and managerial experience were instrumental in setting up an
international-standard mobile phone operation in Bangladesh. Telenor has had more than 150 years
of experience in the telecommunications business and was a pioneer in the development of the GSM
technology (GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communications, originally Groupe Spéciale
Mobile).

12. The marketing strategy of Grameenphone worked–it had a 48% share of the market (in terms
of mobile phone subscriptions) after its first full year of operations in 1998. This rose to 69% during
2000–2002. When the other operators began to catch up on coverage and call quality,
Grameenphone’s market share dipped to an average of 62% during 2003–2006. Two new entrants
and aggressive pricing strategies by the competition further eroded the company’s market share to
48% in 2007 and to 43% in 2011. Figure A4.2 shows the market shares of the six mobile operators
from 2006 to 2011.

Figure A4.2: Market Shares of Mobile Phone Operators

in Bangladesh, 2006–2011

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Grameenphone Orascom
Robi Axiata Airtel
Pacific Teletalk

Source: Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.