Grameenphone (Bengali: গ্রামীণফোন) (DSE: GP,CSE: GP), widely abbreviated as GP, is the leading telecommunications service provider in Bangladesh. With more than 55 million subscribers (as of October 2015), Grameenphone is the largest mobile phone operator in the country. It is a joint venture between Telenor and Grameen Telecom Corporation, a non-profit sister concern of the microfinance organization and community development bank Grameen Bank. Telenor, the largest telecommunications company in Norway, owns a 55.8% share of Grameenphone, Grameen Telecom owns 34.2% and the remaining 10% is publicly held.

Grameenphone was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh, and built the first cellular network to cover 99% of the country.

History

The idea of providing universal mobile phone access throughout Bangladesh, including its rural areas, motivated Iqbal Quadir to take action. He was inspired by the Grameen Bank microcredit model and envisioned a business model where a cell phone can serve as a source of income. After leaving his job as an investment banker in the United States, Quadir met and successfully raised money from New York-based investor and philanthropist Joshua Mailman. He then returned to Bangladesh and worked for three years to gain support from organizations such as Grameen Bank and the Norwegian telephone company, Telenor. The result was a consortium with Telenor and Grameen Bank to establish the telecommunications company Grameenphone.