Access to Internet-based services is now readily available to people living in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Grameenphone, the country’s largest phone company, has set up Community Information Centers in rural areas to make shared voice, Internet and data available to those at the bottom of the economic pyramid. A wide range of information, including health, job searches, market prices on agricultural produce, government services and video conferencing with relatives are some of the services now easily accessible.

Piloted in February 2006, the centers provide access to the Internet and other information-based services through Grameenphone’s nationwide EDGE connectivity. The centers are located in areas where the nearest point of Internet access can be as much as 20-30 kilometers away. There are more than 500 centers, each serving some 40,000 people.

The centers are franchised, independent businesses run by a local entrepreneur. Each center is equipped with a minimum of a computer, printer, scanner, web-cam and an EDGE-modem to connect to the Internet. The centers generate expected revenue of USD 6-7 a day, and cost around USD 1,000 to establish, making them financially viable within a year.

An affiliate of Telenor AS of Norway, Grameenphone has more than 11 million mobile phone subscribers as of January 2007. In cooperation with the Grameen Bank, the Nobel Peace prize winning micro-credit pioneer, Grameenphone had also introduced the internationally acclaimed Village Phone Program, providing universal access to people in rural areas who typically cannot afford to buy a regular subscription. It also enabled poor village women to earn a living by retailing mobile phone services in villages.

Since its inception, Ericsson has been sole supplier to Grameenphone’s network, setting up its infrastructure, including the design, implementation and commissioning of the GSM network. Ericsson’s EDGE solution enables the information centers to provide services such as Internet and video conferencing. Ericsson also supplied the centers with fixed wireless terminals. The centers were launched in cooperation with the GSM Association Development Fund.