Project Description
Apart from bringing ICT to the masses, this project, started in Bangladesh, also aims at generating employment in the technology sector. This is done by giving GSM enabled telephones to local operators who sell phone services to customers at double the call rates.

Project Objectives
The main aim of this project is to increase telephone connectivity in rural Bangladesh. Lack of timely information has been a major hurdle in the development of Bangladesh. This project is directed at removing this hurdle by creating a telephone network.

Intended Beneficiaries
The rural populace and especially women are the intended beneficiaries.

Partners Involved
Telenor, a Norwegian telecommunications company, Grameen Telecom, Japanese Marubeni corporation and Gonophone, a US based company are the partners involved. The project is funded by the Grameen bank. Its major objective is to create micro enterprises that can both generate individual income and provide telephone connectivity to villages.

Impact: Costs and Benefits
Not only has the project led to awareness among the rural poor, it has also led to the empowerment of women. Since a majority of the operators are women, it has enhanced their financial status. It is believed that by providing them with direct access to these phones, they are able to take advantage of them in a manner which would not have been possible had the operators been men.

Lessons Learned
Access to information on agricultural produce can have a significant impact on a farmer's income. Telecommunications also help strengthen kinship ties. For a capitalist, mobile communications is a core investment.

Constraints/Challenges
Until 1996 the government had a monopoly over the telecom industry and telecommunications were limited to the urban areas. It is also important to look into the network availability for mobile phones.

Sustainability Factors
Issues of replication have yet to be considered.

Recommendations
Countries wishing to adopt the project should look into means of collecting revenue from the phones.

Project or Related URLs:

http://www.grameen-info.org