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On the 5th of November, 1995 a consortium with the name of GrameenPhone was formed comprising Grameen Telecom of Bangladesh, Telenor of Norway with the objective of offering mobile telephone services in the villages of Bangladesh. Grameen Telecom started the 'Village Phone' program to bring telecommunication and information technology to the rural people and help them alleviate their poverty. The main focus of the program was to get a mobile phone into the hands of poor women and accelerate women's empowerment, which was then limited to upper class and urban areas. The Initiative was taken to implement the program in collaboration with Grameenphone (GP) and the distribution of mobile phone sets under the Village Phone Program started on 26 March 1997, on the formal launching day of GP. The program's contributions to women's empowerment have earned it multiple international honors. In rural Bangladesh, Grameen Telecom is dedicated to empowering the marginalized and fostering inclusive development. The company looks forward to new technologies and partnerships.

By 31 July 2022, more than 83,000 villages in the 64 districts of Bangladesh came under the Rural Phone Program. The number of active Rural Phones is 1.03 million.

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