State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, in agreement with AMTOB and MIOB on the anarchy of the mobile phone market, has emphasized on white listing of mobile phones entering the country through customs by storing them with BTRC. At the same time, he also said that there will be safeguards in the Telecommunication Act to prevent illegal mobile phone handset users in this sector.
This was stated by the state minister while speaking as the chief guest at the seminar on ‘Challenges and Prospects in the Production of Mobile Handsets in the Country’ held at the Conference Hall of the Directorate of Telecommunications in Tejgaon on Thursday. Organized by Telecom and Technology Reporters Network Bangladesh (TRNB), an organization of journalists working in the country’s telecommunication and technology beat, Robi Axiata’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Mohammad Shahidul Alam and mobile handset manufacturers in the country on behalf of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (MTOB), a trade organization of mobile operators, attended the seminar. New organization Mobile Phone Industry Owners Association of Bangladesh (MIOB) Vice President Rezwanul Haque highlighted various challenges of the country’s mobile market in two presentations.
Agreeing with this presentation, Palak highlighted the decision to give a proposal to the Home Minister to implement regular market surveillance. For this reason, the state minister advised TRNB, AMTOB and MIOB to prepare a proposal and said that honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has decided to give 10 percent cash incentives on behalf of the government on mobile phone exports. We want to increase smartphone penetration and broadband penetration very quickly.
Palak also said, “To control illegal mobile phones, I would request that our handset registration system and database of customs tax paid imported mobile phones be kept with BTRC so that our law enforcement agencies, consumer rights directorate, intelligence agencies can do real-time verification whenever they go on raids. It is possible to do. Measures will be taken to prevent illegal mobile handset users through the Telecommunication Act. Citizens will be encouraged to register their mobile handsets to ensure data security and address future risks. Also, if someone brings a phone as a gift from abroad, it should also be registered. If not, I will request NBR to look at the database and track those who use 1-2 lakh high-end phones and take action against them.”
Emphasizing regular market surveillance and increasing operations, Palak said, we are making Bangladesh Telecommunication Act instead of Telecommunication Control Act. We are looking at deregulation and expansion of telecommunications so as to generate employment as well as export earnings. Government, Industry, Academia and Media Partnerships are needed to build the Smart Bangladesh of tomorrow. Today we got Digital Bangladesh under the leadership of Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina because it was created. By making it more business-friendly, sincere, and credible, we will transform from a middle-income country to a high-income country by 2041. In that case, our telecom and mobile industry will make a very important contribution.
He said that, we have an estimated demand of 5 crore mobile phone handsets in Bangladesh every year. In 2022, we were able to assemble 3 crore mobile phones in the country. While that production number has declined in 2023-24, the number of mobile users has not, according to data from mobile network operators.
In the seminar conducted by TRNB President Rashed Mehdi, BTRC Chairman Engineer Mohiuddin Ahmed, Director General of Consumer Rights Directorate AHM Safikuzzaman, DB Chief Haroon-or-Rashid,A MTOB Secretary General Lieut. Colonel Mohammad Zulfikar (Retd.), MIOB President Zakaria Shahid and others spoke.
