Ericsson has won an agreement from Telenor-backed Bangladeshi telco Grameenphone to extend the capacity of its all-IP core network. The decision to expand follows better than expected growth in both subscribers and traffic over the last year. The contract covers expansion and deployment of additional parts of the GSM core and radio access network. Ericsson will also provide related support services throughout the contract lifecycle to ensure a flexible, scalable and robust network, enabling Grameenphone to cost-effectively develop a range of innovative services. Anders Jensen, CEO of Grameenphone, said: ‘In partnership with Ericsson, we are preparing for the next generation of our network solution. This investment in our network will help Grameenphone to meet the needs of our rapidly increasing subscriber base to keep our leading position.’ According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, Grameenphone had more than 20.3 million wireless customers at the end of June 2008, of which 97.8% are connected to pre-paid packages.

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