Huawei, the China-based leading telecommunications network solution provider, announced that it had singed a new deal with Grameenphone, the largest mobile carrier in Bangladesh, allowing the operator to expand and improve its GSM network.

Huawei's "all-IP core network solutions" is set to enable the Bangladesh operator to upgrade its network to a more flexible but at the same time reliable one. The future network will be simplified, this way allowing Grameenphone to greatly reduce its operational costs.

After the upgrade and extension of Grameenphone's GSM network, Huawei and the first Bangladesh carrier will most probably also build a new 3G network, in order to offer consumers the most advanced and fastest mobile services.

Mr. Anders Jensen, Chief Executive Officer of Grameenphone, declared in a press release issued recently: "We are delighted to choose Huawei as our second GSM equipment supplier. Huawei's advanced technology and value-added services will help us to deliver an excellent mobile experience to our customers."

Mr. Kevin Tao, Senior Vice President of Huawei, added: "We are honored to partner with Grameenphone. With our customized solutions and professional service capabilities, we are dedicated to helping Grameenphone strengthen its leadership and competitiveness in Bangladesh."

Grameenphone is jointly owned by Grameen Telecom (38%) and Telenor (62%), the Norway-based international carrier that operates in more than 10 countries from all over the world. With almost 19 million customers, Grameenphone is way ahead of the other five mobile carriers from Bangladesh: Banglalink, AKTel, Warid, CityCell and TeleTalk.

Although it has a population of more than 150 million, Bangladesh only has slightly over 40 million mobile subscribers, mainly because its economy is still under development. Anyway, like India, its neighbor country, Bangladesh is one of the emerging mobile markets that will quickly grow in the next few years.