From now on, customers in the Khulna Division will be able to pay their electricity (under the West Zone Power Distribution Company Ltd., WZPDCL) and water bill (under Khulna WASA) through Grameenphone’s BillPay service. Grameenphone, WZPDCL, and Khulna WASA launched the service in a Press Conference at a hotel in Khulna.

Nearly 9 lakh customers under the WZPDCL in Khulna, Jessore, Barisal, Faridpur, Kushtia, and Patuakhali will be able to pay their electricity bills through Grameenphone’s BillPay service. Moreover, residents of Khulna will be able to pay their water bills under Khulna WASA through the service.

Following three easy steps, customers will be able to avail the service very easily. First, they have to dial *777# in order to register their phone number for an account. Then, they have to recharge money to their account from the nearest MobiCash outlet, Grameenphone Center, or Internet point. This will finally enable them to pay their bills directly from their mobile phone accounts.

The inaugural ceremony was attended by Md. Anisur Rahman Biswas, Acting Mayor of Khulna City Corporation; Md, Nazmul Ahsan, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Khulna; Engr. Md. Shafique Uddin, Managing Director of WZPDCL; Md. Abdullah P. Eng., Managing Director, Khulna WASA; Erwan Gelebart, Head of Mobile Financial Services, Grameenphone; and Md. Molla Nafiz Imtiaz, Circle Business Head of Khulna, Grameenphone; among other guests.

Erwan Gelebart, Grameenphone’s Head of Mobile Financial Services, said, ‘Customers will get a maximum of 40% discount on service charges while paying bills. Besides, Grameenphone users will receive notifications regarding bills. The notifications will mention the date of issuance of bills, and the deadline of paying bills. Customers will also be notified after bill payment is made. If customers want, they will be able to remain informed in detail about the last 5 bill payments that they made through the service. Besides these facilities, Grameenphone customers will be able to purchase train tickets and FlexiLoad with this wallet.’

Md. Molla Nafiz Imtiaz, Grameenphone’s Business Circle Head of Khulna, said, ‘A large section of our population is still outside the scope of Banking services. Grameenphone, as the largest telecom operator in Bangladesh, has been working tirelessly to make the daily lives of the Bangladeshi people easier. The BillPay service is one of the examples of our commitment in this regard. Launching a service that adds greater convenience to the daily lives of consumers makes Grameenphone proud. Grameenphone has three thousand MobiCash points all over Khulna for customer convenience. The main aim of launching this service is to enable customers pay their utility bills with greater comfort.’

Engr. Md. Shafique Uddin, Managing Director of WZPDCL, said, “Grameenphone is the largest and strongest telecom service provider in Bangladesh. It has more than 56 million customers. Thus it is very obvious that we can reach our maximum customers with most friendly process for bill payment”.

Md. Anisur Rahman Biswas, Acting Mayor of Khulna City Corporation, said, “Technology makes our lifer easier. Development can’t be ensured without its help. Khulna City Corporation is works for making its inhabitant’s life easier. We have tremendous opportunities here and we will fulfill those”.

Md. Abdullah P. Eng., Managing Director, Khulna WASA, said, “Motivated by Digital Bangladesh announcement Khulna WASA firstly has applied automated billing system. After that it has implemented automated payment system and partnered with Grameenphone to ensure best service for customers. It is a good news for our customers indeed”.

BillPay is a pioneering Mobile Financial Service (MFS) by Grameenphone for customers in Bangladesh. Currently, customers of Bangladesh Power Development Board, Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd., Dhaka Electric Supply Company Ltd., Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd., Jalalabad Gas Transmission and Distribution System Ltd., Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Ltd., Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Ltd., Chittagong WASA and WZPDCL, and Khulna WASA have been using the service to pay their utility bills.

BillPay service, which was launched in 2006, enables customers to pay utility bills from their mobile phones at any time of the day, and allows them to avoid the hassle of paying bills standing in line.