"We have already set up a local office here and we are ready to start in a big way in Bangladesh, which now enjoys 9 to 10 per cent market penetration rate," Rajeev Suri, senior vice president of Nokia Networks (Asia Pacific), told The Daily Star during his recent visit to Dhaka.

At present, Nokia Networks is working with Warid Telecom and GrameenPhone Ltd and the company is in talks with other operators.

"We supplied some SMS-related core infrastructures to GrameenPhone last year and we are providing Warid Telecom with radio network," Suri said.

While talking about products, Suri said Nokia Prepaid Tracker allows phone users to keep track of their balance after every call.

He also said, "Earlier there were only high denomination prepaid cards in market, now we have introduced e-refill, which allows low denominations. So, as there are no cash barriers, the consumers can recharge with small amount of money. We have already deployed e-refill in India, Thailand and the Philippines."

Nokia's technical solutions are designed to bring down the total cost of mobile phone ownership, Suri said.

If the solutions are passed on to the consumers and the regulatory balance is maintained, Bangladesh's market penetration may go up to 30 per cent by the end of 2009, Suri added.

On the next billion-mark in mobile subscribers' base, Suri said in Asia, 85 per cent of that growth will come from the four new growth markets -- India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh. Nokia predicts the subscribers' base will reach the next billion-mark by the end of 2008.