What it does: Mobile telecommunications service provider in Bangladesh.
Best known for: Grameenphone was the first company to offer EDGE services and introduce GSM technology in the country.
Staff stats: More than 7,000 people.
The good bits: Grameenphone interns may earn monthly salaries aside from company perks such as free lunches and access to gaming facilities. Highly skilled employees may fast-track their careers after three years of joining the company.
The not so good bits: Graduates should expect tight competition and company politics, which are common for large organisations like Grameenphone. Median telecommunication salaries are also lower than the industry average of BDT 59,000 per month.
Hiring grads with top marks in: Engineering and Information Technology; Economics and Law; Business, Finance and Marketing; Mass Communications; Human Resources.
Grameenphone has expanded its customer base to more than 74 million subscribers since the company opened for business in 1997. GP became a public limited company in 2007 before going public at the Dhaka and Chittagong Stock Exchanges two years later. Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor owns 55.8 per cent of GP while Grameen Telecom Corporation holds a 34.2 per cent stake. The general public and other institutions own the remaining 10 per cent in the company.
So far, GP’s investments in network infrastructure have reached BDT 347.4 billion over the years. The company has more than 376,000 unique recharge outlets, around 6,800 GP Express stores and two GP Lounges for Digital Services customers in Bangladesh. The company’s 2G and 3G network coverage reaches over 99 per cent and 92 per cent of the country’s population, respectively. GP only had its licence for 4G/LTE network services as of early 2018.
In the same year, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) named GP as the Significant Market Power (SMP) in the telecommunications industry with a 46.33 per cent market share. The telecommunications regulator’s SMP declaration may curb the company’s business development, as sources believe that GP might incur additional charges and regular taxes for acquiring customers.
The company has a standard hiring process that involves seven steps: shortlisting, tests and initial interview, company presentation, comprehensive interview, medical exam, information and reference checks, and employment offer.
The HR recruiter and line manager usually screen applications based on the nature of the job description. If it’s an entry-level role, a graduate’s education will play an important part. Any additional skills will be an advantage during the shortlisting stage.
Shortlisted candidates may need to pass several oral and written tests depending on the position. The exams will primarily test their intelligence, cognitive skills, learning capacity, task proficiency and analytical assessment for the job. There will be a company presentation for those who passed the tests before the interview stage.
GP’s panel of interviewers normally includes the hiring manager, department head and HR manager. If you pass the interview, the company will require a medical exam and background check before considering a job offer.
The company recruits students through its internship programmes, which usually begin during the spring semester. Grameenphone recruiters advise students to highlight their passion and achievements in their resumes. While the company doesn’t measure intelligence solely through grades, prospective interns should be familiar with technical concepts and business acumen.
Recent graduates can also start their career at GP through its apprenticeship programme. You can apply for a part-time corporate training stint for three semesters. Once you join as a full-time employee for at least three years, you can fast-track your career by signing up with the Next Business Leader (NBL) programme. NBLs are the subject-matter experts in GP’s commercial, technology and techno-commercial business aspects. However, some employees believe that more can be done about job security.
A systems engineer usually earns around BDT 45,000 per month on average, while specialists earn an average monthly salary of BDT 47,500 per month. Marketing managers and senior executives earn a median salary of BDT 50,000 per month.
Interns earn between BDT 6,000 and BDT 10,000 per month. They also receive career and professional development counselling, free gym memberships, complimentary lunches and access to in-house cafés and indoor entertainment facilities.
The nature of your job will greatly affect work-life balance at Grameenphone. Apprentices and some specialists enjoy flexible job schedules. Senior executives, system engineers and managers follow strict schedules that can last more than nine hours. Local field travel may be necessary for certain roles as well.
GP’s competitors include Robi (29.87 per cent market share), Banglalink (21.35 per cent market share) and Teletalk (2.46 per cent market share).
The company’s Child Online Safety initiative has educated more than 130,000 students about the best practices for internet safety. Grameenphone aims to raise online safety awareness among 1.2 million children and 600,000 parents, guardians and teachers by 2020.
The Child Online Safety programme complements the ‘Alor Pathshala’ online book project, a joint venture between GP and Bishwo Shahitto Kendro. More than 1 million students have read local and international books through the digital platform since it was launched in 2004.
In 2019, Grameenphone became involved in an audit claim disagreement with the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) over BDT 134.47 billion in unpaid dues to the government. Finance Minister Mustafa Kamal said that the company would settle the case through a court trial.
Grameenphone claims to be ‘a family of youthful and diverse risk-takers and challengers’, which implies a dynamic work environment. Interested graduates must be up to date with the latest trends in telecommunications, particularly disruptive technologies. Be willing to settle for below-average pay and keep in mind that the company’s tedious hiring process may test your patience.