GrameenPhone passes 8.5 million subscribers

Bangladeshi mobile market leader GrameenPhone signed up two million net new users in the second quarter of 2006 to take its total customer base to 8.5 million at the end of June, it announced this week. The company has expanded its GSM network by adding around 1,000 new base stations in the first six months of the year; its footprint now spans a total of 4,500 base stations. At the end of March GrameenPhone had a 55% market share, ahead of Telekom Malaysia International Bangladesh (AKTEL) with 26%.