Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission – BTRC has banned the import and local production of 3G handsets from January 1 next year. The Commission has taken this decision considering that 3G handsets are hindering the expansion of 4G mobile network in the country.
According to BTRC statistics, manufacturing 3G handsets in the country has almost become zero. Local manufacturers have produced only a few thousand handsets this year. But some importers, under “Mobile Phone Handset Manufacturers and Vendors Enrollment” and “Radio Equipment Importers and Vendors Enrollment” categories still import only 3G handsets. So BTRC has decided not to issue NOC (No Objection Certificate) to those importers after December 31 this year only for importing 3G handsets.
Meanwhile, smartphone production by local companies is declining, but the volume of feature-phone production is increasing and this happening at a time when the country is moving towards 5G technology.
According to the data, 69.6 percent of the total handsets produced in the country are feature phones, and 30.4 percent are smartphones.
In June this year, the production of smart-phones (4G and 5G) in the country was 880,000 units, while the production of 2G or feature-phones was 2150,000 units.
According to the data provided by Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Association, the market of mobile handsets in the country is more than BDT 10 thousand crore.
The annual demand for mobile phone handsets is over 3 crore 50 lakh units, of which 1 crore 10 lakh units are smartphones. As of January 2021, local manufacturers supplied nearly 80 percent of the country’s mobile phone requirements. The sector has created more than 15,000 jobs.
Currently 15 companies have licenses to manufacture mobile handsets.
These include- Walton Digitech Industries, Fair Electronics (Brand- Samsung), Edison Industries (Symphony), Al Amin & Brothers (5 Star), CarlCare Technologies Bd Ltd (itel, Techno), Anira International (Winstar), Best Taikul Enterprise Ltd. (Vivo), Grameen Distribution (Lava), Banglatronic Technology (DTC), Benle Electronic Enterprises (Oppo), OK Mobile and MyCell Technology.
The government has taken steps through its “Made in Bangladesh” program to encourage local manufacturing and assembling of smartphones and attract foreign investment.