Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission today decided to allow Grameenphone a new number series of 013 with their existing 017 prefix which is close to be exhausted.

Grameenphone, the leading mobile phone operator of the country, for the last two years, applied for an additional number series for its new connections as projected sales suggest the existing '017' prefix could be exhausted as early as November this year.

The BTRC took the decision to allow the telecom operator to use 013 prefix at a commission meeting today, said a senior official of the regulator.

With the new prefix, the operator would be able to issue a further 10 crore connections if the BTRC agrees to it.

As of June, the operator has 5.7 crore active subscribers out of the country's total of 13.09 crore.

However, it has not revealed the actual number of SIM cards sold.

The National Numbering Plan has ten prefixes for mobile operators, of which 010, 012, 013 and 014 are still free.

After the cancellation of Citycell's license another number series will become free. It is currently using the 011 series.

Among the other operators, Teletalk is using 015 series, Airtel 016, Robi 018 and Banglalink 019.