GP customers in flood-affected Sylhet get 10-minute free talk-time

Grameenphone is offering 10 minutes of free talk-time to people in the flood-affected areas of Sylhet.

The talk-time offer aims to enable Grameenphone subscribers to contact their family and friends, call for aids and urgent support without having to worry about mobile balance, the telecom operator said in a statement today.

The 10 minutes of free talk-time, with three days validity, is already being disbursed to customers living in the flooded regions.

"It is our moral responsibility to assist those who are stranded and stand by the nation during these times of dire need," said Mohammad Sajjad Hasib, chief marketing officer of Grameenphone.

"As a connectivity partner, we, at Grameenphone, are relentlessly striving to keep our base station and switch location out of harm due to continuous heavy rainfall, ensuring to live our purpose of connecting people to what matters most, especially during such trying times."

"We understand our customers' urgent connectivity need to reach for any assistance. We are closely monitoring the situation on field and will remain vigilant going forward to provide connectivity support," Hasib said.

The flood condition has now been persisting for the past 4-5 days, with at least 40 lakh people stranded and stuck helpless, the operator said.

Mobile network and internet connection have already become compromised in the region due to excessive flooding and power failure.

Grameenphone is working together with the Post and Telecom Ministry, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, Bangladesh Army and other stakeholders, to tackle the crisis and restore mobile connectivity in the flood-hit regions.

The telecom operator is also exploring alternative feasible solutions to enable the nation to fight the calamity.