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The concept of Village Phone is an idea which caught people’s imagination. Grameen Bank members have entered the age of information technology by leasing and purchasing cellular phones. The mobile phones not only create a new business opportunity for the poor, but also bring access to information, market, health and other services to the remote rural areas of Bangladesh. This was a major innovation; placing modern cell phones in the hand of the woman from poorest households in remote villages, something that no telecom operator had dared to do in the past. With Grameen Bank financing a Grameen Bank borrower buys a mobile phone to become the Telephone Lady of the village. She provides the telecommunication services to the village while earning profits for herself. By the end of 2009, there were about three hundred sixty four thousand village phone ladies who have together taken loans amounting to BDT 2.57 billion.
The demand of the Village Phone services is increasing day by day. During the year 2009 nearly 2,000 new phones were distributed and at the same time 100,500 chrun back connections were provided to cell phones in the villages. Grameen Bank, in collaboration with Grameen Telecom (The company which was incorporated as a not-for-profit venture under the companies act of 1994) has made a plan to finance nearly 20,000 new phones to its members during the next year.
The additional income by selling telephone service and internet based facility through electronic recharge system (ERS, EDGE,/GPRS) of village phone ladies is almost double that of the national per capita income. Zone-wise statistics of village phones financed through the Bank’s lending programme are given below :
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Progress of Village Phones up to December, 2009.
| Zone |
of Branches Covered |
of VP owned by
Bank members |
| Chittagong |
71 |
6,174 |
| Tangail |
78 |
8,101 |
| Rangpur |
59 |
7,245 |
| Manikganj |
60 |
11,055 |
| Patuakhali |
86 |
7,079 |
| Bogra |
64 |
9,044 |
| Sylhet |
70 |
14,288 |
| Rajshahi |
85 |
24,892 |
| Dinajpur |
63 |
12,148 |
| Faridpur |
85 |
10,361 |
| Comilla |
74 |
9,638 |
| Mymensingh |
54 |
11,511 |
| Munshiganj |
60 |
8,761 |
| Khulna |
69 |
8,386 |
| Noakhali |
78 |
12,546 |
| Jamalpur |
54 |
8,208 |
| Nilphamari |
56 |
5,442 |
| Hobiganj |
55 |
7,433 |
| Pabna |
60 |
13,359 |
| Barisal |
79 |
5,511 |
| Jhenaidah |
74 |
10,211 |
| Cox’sbazar |
58 |
6,966 |
| Gaibandha |
54 |
11,121 |
| Noagaon |
77 |
15,160 |
| Jessore |
79 |
9,633 |
| Chandpur |
54 |
7,988 |
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Kishoreganj
|
71 |
6,527 |
| Bhola |
52 |
2,432 |
| Rangamati |
30 |
4,763 |
| Gazipur |
46 |
7,423 |
| Madaripur |
68 |
17,615 |
| Thakurgaon |
69 |
12,874 |
| Pirojpur |
61 |
4,129 |
| Sunamganj |
57 |
5,595 |
| Feni |
46 |
6,766 |
| Narsingdi |
38 |
7,737 |
| Kurigram |
46 |
4,456 |
| Netrokona |
47 |
5,684 |
| Sirajganj |
45 |
9,769 |
| Sherpur |
51 |
6,349 |
| Total |
2483 |
364,380 |
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Flexiload Programme
Flexiload Programme Flexiload program started from April 2006 in
Tangail and Comilla zone as a ROSA  (Retailer outlet sales agent) pilot
project. The agreement between Grameen Bank (GB) and Grameenphone (GP)
was to sell handset, accessories and bulk airtime in rural areas through
GB members. The programme is still now successfully going on.
Finally, the agreement was set up on November 06, 2006 to expand the
program in other zones. In this programme, Grameenphone is the principal
or host and and Grameen Bank acts reload distributor functioning
perfectly through a master SIM card.
Selected GB members are the sales agents who get load from logistics
management team of Grameenphone under GB channel. GB agents transfer
their load as per end users demand. It is continuous process. GB’s
commission is 0.95% and sales agent’s commission is 2.75% respectively.
Up to December 31, 2009 GB creates 1,000 sales agents in 40 zones. The
total transaction averagely reaches at the end of the year in BDT
1060.24 million. Grameen Bank and agents received commissions amounting
BDT 10.07 and 29.15 million respectively. Now every week Grameen Bank
agents are transacting BDT 9.00 million. Grameen bank plan is to make
2,000 Grameen Bank agents very soon. We hope this program will develop
and reinforce strategies, which will bring high economic benefits to
Grameen Bank members.
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