Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa jabbar called on business organizations to come forward to promote digital connectivity. He called upon all stakeholders, including tradebodies in the digital technology sector, to work together for this purpose, noting that the partners need to work together to promote and implement digital connectivity.
The minister made the call while addressing a discussion on the contribution of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology in the Inclusive Digital Economy in Bangladesh organized by Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) at Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka on Thursday.
In his speech, comparing the internet as the breathing system of the digital age, the Minister said, “Broadband internet is being implemented not only for the people of the city but also for every household in the remote parts of the country.” With the exception of 163 Union Councils of the country, every union of the country is coming under optical fiber connectivity.
Regarding the price of internet, the minister said that the price of internet in Bangladesh is much lower. One Mbps bandwidth is available now at Tk. 60. Whereas, the price of one Mbps internet in 2006 was Tk. 78,000; in 2008 it was Tk. 27,000 and now one Mbps bandwidth is available at Tk. 60 only under one country rate.
He gave a comparative picture of the expansion of internet in the country, saying that in line with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visionary initiative Digital Bangladesh, high speed broadband network has been extended to almost every union of the country and 4G network has been extended to 98% of the country. In the meantime, 5G spectrum has been auctioned and 5G has been launched too. He also cited the example of expanding connectivity in remote and inaccessible areas of the country, saying that now with the help of internet, young men and women can outsource work abroad from the hills of Madhupar or haor areas as well.Advising A4AI to update the data presented at the event, he said that in 2008, only 7.5 Gbps internet was used in the country and the number of users was only 8 lakh. Prior to the break of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, 1000 Gbps internet was used in the country. At present it has increased to 3440 Gbps and the number of users has increased to about thirteen crore.
Mentioning that the price of mobile internet is a bit higher, the minister said, “We are trying to bring business competition through Teletalk in the interest of the customers.” Unlimited packages of mobile internet have already been launched. Teletalk was the first to launch it and other operators have implemented it, the minister said.
Noting that operators have recently been allotted extra spectrum to reduce the call drop of mobiles, the minister said that customers will get this facility from next December. Regarding the availability of digital devices in the country, especially mobile phones, Mostafa Jabbar, the inventor of using Bangla language in computers, said that 14 factories including Samsung have set up mobile factories in the country in the last four years using the technology-friendly policy of the government. As a result, 70% of the total demand of the country can be met from the mobiles produced by these factories.
He called upon the entrepreneurs to come forward for setting up mobile factories as well as laptop and computer factories.
Referring to the launch of 5G, the latest version of technology in the country, as a groundbreaking initiative for the development of digital connectivity, the minister said that using this technology in education, industry and commerce would set milestones in the country’s economic development.
The Minister emphasized the need to present to the world the true picture of Bangladesh’s progress in 2022 by releasing the updated version of the Alliance for Affordable Internet’s 2018 Information Based Report on Bangladesh. He said this will enable the world to know the true picture of Bangladesh’s achievements in digital connectivity, internet access and digital devices and digital economy.
BASIS President Russell T. Ahmed, Alliance for Affordable Internet’s Global Policy Officer Eleanor and Asia-Pacific Coordinator Anju Mangal spoke at the event, which was hosted by Alliance for Affordable Internet’s Bangladesh Coordinator Shahid Uddin Akbar.
BASIS President Russell T. Ahmed emphasized the sustainable use of the digital infrastructure built by the government, including the Hi-Tech Park, and bringing maximum output from it. “Apart from building digital infrastructure, we need to focus on building skilled human resources,” he said. Similarly, the next steps need to be taken considering the strategies of the neighboring countries to meet the target of $5 billion export.