DHAKA: Orascom Telecom s Banglalink, the fastest growing mobile phone operator in Bangladesh, said it had 2 million subscribers in a market that is expected to have 18 million users by end of the year. Banglalink has reached the 2 million subscribers only within 15 months of (starting) its operation, Lars P Reichelt, chief executive officer of Banglalink, told a news conference on Monday. Banglalink competes with GrameenPhone, a subsidiary of Norway s Telenor; Aktel, which is majority owned by Telekom Malaysia International, CityCell, a venture between SingTel and Pacific Bangladesh Telecom and the state-run Teletalk. Warid Telecom International (LLC) of the United Arab Emirates is set to start operations soon as the sixth mobile phone company in the country. The country s booming mobile phone industry has made a significant contribution to economic development, adding $650 million to gross domestic product (GDP) and creating nearly 240,000 jobs, said a study by the international consultancy firm Ovum. As in many developing nations, mobile phone services are taking off rapidly in Bangladesh, far outstripping fixed lines. Bangladesh, which introduced cellphone services in 1992, has witnessed rapid growth, with the number of users rising to 11 million in early 2006 from 200,000 in 2001. There are a million fixed-line phones provided by state-owned Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board. Bangladesh is among the world s poorest nations, with nearly half its 140 million population living on less than $1 a day. Reuters
