India’s Spice mobile chooses Bangladesh for global debut

DHAKA - India’s Spice mobiles have debuted in the international market by launching four handsets in Bangladesh, the largest growing market for cellphones in the neighbourhood.

“We chose to enter the international market with Bangladesh as the country offers great opportunities for mobile handset companies with huge untapped penetration,” Kunal Ahooja, CEO of Spice Mobiles Ltd, said at the launch here Tuesday.

Mehboob Chowdhury, chairman of the South Asian Mobile Forum, said: “A greater cooperation is needed among the mobile phone manufacturers and operators of South Asia.”

“I congratulate Spice, a major brand of the region, for focusing their attention on Bangladesh and hope they may work for the benefit of all the South Asian nations, ” bdnews24.com web site newspaper said.

The move comes amid reports that Bharati Telecom is also eyeing the Bangladeshi market where Grameen Telecom, the pioneer, is working to penetrate the large rural market.