Grameenphone Bangladesh -
ERS Transformation
Grameenphone (GP) is the largest telecom operator in Bangladesh, with more than 85 million subscribers and over 50% market share. Known for its extensive reach and wide retail presence, GP operates over 500,000 retail points across the country. As a leader in the telecom space, the company has played a key role in connecting millions of people across Bangladesh, offering voice, data, and digital services. However, as the telecom industry evolved, GP needed to modernize its systems to maintain its competitive edge and sustain growth in an increasingly dynamic market.
Challenges
Despite its success and position as the market leader, GP was running into several operational issues. Its older, legacy systems were expensive to maintain, with high licensing and operational costs. These systems also made it hard to introduce new technology smoothly, leading to frequent delays.
On top of that, its database-driven architecture was complex and slow, limiting the company’s ability to adapt to modern cloud environments. Even small changes took too long to roll out, creating a drag on operations.
Grameenphone was in need of a faster, more cost-effective solution to stay ahead in a fast-moving market.
Solution Implemented
In Q2 2021, Grameenphone partnered with Seamless to roll out ERS 360°, a cloud-native electronic recharge platform. The platform was designed to handle loads as heavy as over 1200 transactions per second with ease, providing the stability and performance Grameenphone needed. It also allowed for flexibility that enabled high levels of customization so the operator could tailor it to its specific needs.
Additionally, the system used open APIs to connect with external systems and enable modern channels like web portals, mobile apps, USSD, and third-party services. The biggest upside of the platform proved to be its ability to dramatically reduce the time it took to launch new updates and services, giving Grameenphone more agility in its operations.
Key Outcomes
As a result of the ERS 360° roll out, by Q3 2023–2024, Grameenphone was starting to experience real, tangible results. The time it took to implement change requests (TTM) was cut by up to three times, allowing the provider to respond much faster to market changes.
The platform’s improved troubleshooting capabilities also played a key role, reducing system downtime and helping ensure smooth, uninterrupted service. As a result of these improvements, transaction throughput increased by 20%, reflecting how the system’s stability and reliability had taken operations to the next level.
On the financial side, subscriber loan recovery doubled, boosting the company’s cash flow. Moreover, ERS 360° helped bring down operational costs by 30%, freeing up resources for other initiatives.
Over the year, Grameenphone successfully rolled out more than 11 updates, showing just how flexible and adaptable the new system is to rapidly shifting market needs.
This success resulted in a few subsequent orders to strengthen our partnership, highlighting the trust and value Grameenphone placed in the ERS 360° solution and Seamless.
20% increase in transactions throughput
subscriber loan recovery doubled
11 updates, showcasing system adaptability
Value Generated
With ERS 360°, Grameenphone now operates a fully digital distribution system that supports multiple recharge channels. The fast go-live gave the company a competitive advantage, enabling it to grow while staying agile and responsive to market changes. This transformation has set GP up for long-term success, with a scalable platform that enhances customer satisfaction, ensures smooth operations, and supports sustainable growth.
Grameenphone Testimonial
“SDS has been a vital partner in our digital transformation journey. They seamlessly integrated into our roadmap as we transitioned towards cloud-native and microservices. Their highly skilled and proficient team played a pivotal role in the transformation of the critical ERS (Electronic Recharge Service) platform which is our key revenue-generating platform, making it even more robust and scalable. Throughout the project, SDS’ support and commitment was exceptional, ensuring that we stayed on track and exceeded our targets. We’re proud to continue this partnership as we look forward to even greater achievements.”
Niranjan SrinivasanCIO - Grameenphone
