Bangladesh is one of Nokia's most important emerging markets, said a high official of the mobile phone giant at a press briefing at a hotel in Dhaka yesterday.
Senior Vice President for the Asia-Pacific Networks of Nokia Rajeev Suri said, "We recognise the great importance of the fast growing Bangladesh market. We will be developing a strong Nokia presence to serve the market in the best possible way."
He also said his company is working with Warid Telecoms and GrameenPhone to strengthen Nokia's footprint and visibility in this country, establishing an office in Dhaka and dedicating personnel in place to serve their potential customers here.
Nokia plans to hire more people and is confident of expanding along with their customers and market, he added.
"We are making good progress and gaining momentum in establishing relationship with the Bangladesh government and the operators here," Suri said.
As one of the leading end-to-end mobility suppliers of mobile terminals, Nokia intends to make mobile communications affordable and accessible to the Bangladeshi people, the press meet was told.
According to the Nokia, the number of mobile subscribers will reach at least 3 billion globally in 2008 from 2 billions in September 2005, of which around 80 percent will come from new growth markets. Asia-Pacific region and China will account for 50 percent of the would-be subscribers.
"We are well positioned to capitalise on this growth with our localisation strategy and commitment to bringing resources, people and products to where they best serve customers," Suri said further.
When asked about measures to reduce the total cost of ownership of mobile usage, the Nokia Networks official said, "Co-operation is needed between the private sector, governments and regulators to bridge the digital divide and Nokia is committed to doing its part to spread the benefits of mobility."
A number of senior officials were also present at the press conference.
