Bringing Cellular Phone Service to Rural Areas : Grameen Telecom and Village Pay Phones in Bangladesh
Grameen Telecom has provided telephone access to nearly 3 million poor villages beyond the reach of the main phone network. The pay phone initiative has benefited from a number of factors: the level of demand for communications in rural areas; the...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Viewpoint |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2000/03/729343/bringing-cellular-phone-service-rural-areas-grameen-telecom-village-pay-phones-bangladesh http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11438 |
| Summary: | Grameen Telecom has provided telephone
access to nearly 3 million poor villages beyond the reach of
the main phone network. The pay phone initiative has
benefited from a number of factors: the level of demand for
communications in rural areas; the use of the Grameen brand
name, facilities, and in-kind support; the large number of
Bangladeshis working abroad and wanting to call home; and
the country's very high population density. But the
initiative has also been held back by problems
interconnecting with the network of the incumbent utility
and a regulatory framework that has not yet developed the
strength and independence to create fair rules of the game
for all operators. |
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