Digital connectivity is the biggest tool of Smart Bangladesh. The Department of Posts and Telecommunications found a new way to locate the villages in that connection. Post and Telecommunication Minister Mustafa Jabbar said this at the seminar on ‘Smart Connectivity for Smart Bangladesh’ held at Banani’s Pearl Hotel in Dhaka on Thursday. Organized by Telecom and Technology Reporters Network (TRNB), this seminar was conducted by Rashed Mehdi, president of the organization. General Secretary Masuduzzaman Robin delivered the welcome speech.
While speaking as the chief guest at the seminar, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications said that the Internet Service Providers’ Association-ISPAB called upon the ISP traders to find broadband customers. You also have to provide internet connection from village to village. As digital transformation means improvement of life and livelihood, the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has shown the way to create Smart Bangladesh through digital transformation of Bangladesh. That is connectivity. That is Smart Bangladesh.’
Mustafa Jabbar stressed the importance of ISPAB to use their capacity to deliver broadband internet connection from the Union to the villages and said that if the technology cannot be delivered to the people.
I am looking for ways to bring network to villages. I found a great way. However, I am not revealing this matter now. Hopefully through this project we will be able to connect the villages to the internet soon.
Highlighting the importance of content in the smart world along with the internet, the minister said, now we are at a stage where harassment is done using online gambling, messenger, WhatsApp every day; there we have fallen into a stage of helplessness. In the last 5 years of internet content filtering, I have not found any technology to prevent this. Sometimes I can’t find the person I want from him. This situation will be more fragile in the future. It has to be dealt with. In fact, the biggest challenge of smart Bangladesh will be security. If this security is not ensured, Smart Bangladesh will boomerang and collapse on my head. So everyone should be careful. Because, the smarter we are, the more dangers will come. So ISPAB needs to create awareness. The government will also cooperate in this work. I hope the media will also play a role.
TIM Nurul Kabir, an expert in the country’s telecom sector, presented the main article in the seminar. In the keynote discussion, he highlighted the issues of smart society, government and service policies by listening to the voices of the fifth generation world’s drivers today. At the same time, he advised the participants to find out the deficiencies in the existing policies.
BTRC Chairman Shyam Sund Sikder was present as a special guest in the seminar. 5 businessmen who suffered from broadband internet service spoke. IT expert Sumon Ahmed Sabir, former president of TRNB Sajal Zahid, DIG of Police Haider Ali and Director General of BTRC Nasim Parvez participated in the discussion.
Internet Service Provider Association of Bangladesh- ISPAB president Imdadul Haque, general secretary Nazmul Karim Bhuiyan and mobile operators association AMTOB general secretary SM Farhad also spoke in the discussion.
In this seminar lasting more than three hours, after the presentation of the main article, it took the form of a debate program in the speeches of the participants. A public hearing should be held immediately. At this time, the issue of backsliding on the wall of businessmen comes up again and again. The seminar came alive with the presentation of the hostage situation of internet traders to illegal connections and muscle power.
AMTOB Secretary General said that although there is a sense of complacency in many of the current statistics, the reality is different. They also have to work a lot to establish smart connections. For example, we have to gain momentum in establishing the Bangabandhu Tunnel and Metro Rail network.
Similarly, the ISPAB president said that without active sharing, cable clutter is created in the city. The muscle power of illegal ISPs, the complexity of license renewals is hampering the delivery of internet connectivity. Similarly, the Prime Minister declared this sector as ITES for ISPs, but it has not been implemented yet.
Hearing this, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications said that the policy is not a word of mouth that it cannot be amended. If challenges and actions are presented in the form of bullets through everyone’s participation, it will be taken into consideration. Earlier, information technology expert Sumon Ahmed Sabir emphasized smart services and content transformation in addition to increasing internet connectivity. He opined that smart connectivity will be useful if balance and coordination can be established in this sector through discussion with the participation of stakeholders. DIG (Operations) Md. Haider Ali Khan called for 999 help to complain about muscle power demonstrators. He also proposed to introduce internet policing.