‘Taxation for smart devices in Bangladesh is second highest in the world.’ Therefore, ‘These barriers must be removed,’ said Rahul Saha, Director of Mobile for Development in the GSMA Asia-Pacific region. Banglalink CCO Taimur Rahman said, “Digital Bangladesh was announced in 2008. Telecom operators have played a major role in shaping Digital Bangladesh. But Bangladesh has the highest tax policy in the world. We have to look at the policy.”
Similarly, Shahed Alam, Robi’s Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer, while assessing the barriers to the expansion of data services, said, “We need Smart Bangladesh to improve transparency, connectivity and reduce corruption. That is why coordination of all concerned is very important. We are providing data services at a very low cost in global comparison. However, it is not affordable for many mainly due to high tax rates. If the tax burden is a little lower, it will be possible to offer data services to customers at a more affordable price.”
The speakers expressed their opinions at the round table meeting titled ‘What to do in the implementation of Smart Bangladesh’ held on Tuesday at BRAC Inn in the capital under the joint initiative of TRNB and Robi Axiata Limited.
General Secretary of Telecom and Technology Reporters Network Bangladesh (TRNB) Masuduzzaman Robin delivered a welcome speech on the occasion mentioning the unique steps taken by the government and the supporting role of telecom operators in building Smart Bangladesh. BIDS Senior Research Director Manjur Hossain presented the main paper. The round-table meeting was presided over by the TRNB Executive Secretary and former General Secretary Sameer Kumar Dey.
Manjur Hossain mentions in his article, “In 2009 ‘Digital Bangladesh’ was included in our national policy. Now for smart Bangladesh, our telecom, IT, manufacturing organizations have to work to increase efficiency, reduce service cost, and increase digital literacy, device purchasing capacity and so on. Mobile operators have an opportunity to play a major role in building a smart Bangladesh. For this, incentives should be given if necessary.”
Nurul Mabud Chowdhuri, General Manager, IT & Billing, Innovation Officer, Teletalk said, “Our ICT advisor has focused on four areas for Smart Bangladesh including Robotics, Cyber Security. We can be smart if we can manage integrated data.”
Nagad Chief Business Officer Sheikh Aminur Rahman said, “The journey of digital Bangladesh started with telecom; now if everyone collaborates, Smart Bangladesh is not far away.”
The a2i Chief Farhad Zahid Sheikh, Chief e-Governance Strategist, a2i said, “After making Digital Bangladesh a success, Hon’ble ICT Advisor mentioned the four pillars of Smart Bangladesh namely Citizen, Society, Economy and Governance. Smart Bangladesh will be based on quality rather than quantity.”
SM Farhad, Secretary General of Association of Mobile Telecom Operators, Bangladesh- AMTOB, said, “Smart literacy is needed for those who use smart devices to build a smart Bangladesh.”
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Satya Prasad Majumdar said, “Even when different countries of the world are working on 6G, we could not go to 5G. We need to increase our skill development, data communication development capacity. In order to build a smart Bangladesh, the coordination of industry with the universities and the ministries including ICT, Information, and Telecom should work in coordination with all the stakeholders.
The discussants in the program said that the formulation of Digital Bangladesh Vision 2021 and its successful implementation has resulted in significant progress in all sectors of the economy in Bangladesh. As a result, Bangladesh has qualified to become a developing country from a less developed country; it will become a reality by November 24, 2026. Future-oriented short-term and long-term planning/policy formulation is facilitating this progress of the nation.
Initiatives taken under Vision 2021 like digital transformation, digital innovation and digital economy are working as a strong foundation towards the implementation of Vision 2041. Government digital service delivery platforms have opened up new opportunities for the people; at the same time, they are developing their mentality in accepting digital services. Bangladesh is fully prepared to implement the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Smart Bangladesh Vision-2041 based on the strong infrastructure built on the digital connectivity ecosystem.
There has been great progress in various areas of Digital Bangladesh Vision through telecommunication services. As a result anyone now has the opportunity to further involve themselves in the digital/smart economy. A great example in this regard is Singapore’s Smart Nation. Looking at that, one can understand what a wonderful role a smart nation can play from the life of an individual to the level of industry.
It is important to identify the constraints before taking the necessary steps to achieve the ultimate goal and take necessary steps to ensure progress in those areas. Four institutional pillars and specific activities have been undertaken to ensure the desired progress between 2021 and 2041. Now they need proper implementation.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has set the goal of Smart Bangladesh through her visionary thinking. The government has already set up a working committee and identified initial work areas. A working committee has been constituted comprising of relevant stakeholders; which will help in the proper implementation of the target. It is very important to ensure the goals and final results according to each sector. Otherwise, the desired result will not be obtained.
Smart Bangladesh Vision 2041 has four main pillars; the first two of which are Smart Citizen and Smart Government – through which all services and media will be digitalized. On the other hand, Smart Society and Smart Economy will play a supportive role in creating an inclusive society and building a business-friendly environment to ensure smart economic growth. In addition to massive transformation under these four pillars, technologies of the fourth industrial revolution will play an important role in realizing the vision of Smart Bangladesh.