The Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), Ashik Chowdhury, announced the establishment of a national advisory council comprising field-based business representatives rather than leaders. Meanwhile, Mahmood Hossain, Commissioner of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), called for civil society’s involvement in reinstating the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR), which was previously halted despite its adverse impact on the country.
These statements were made during a roundtable discussion titled “Starting Anew” held on Saturday, October 12, at the Bishwo Shahitto Kendro auditorium in the capital. The event was organized by the Technology Industry Policy Advocacy Platform (TIPAP), where coordinator Didarul Bhuiyan delivered the welcoming remarks.
Chowdhury noted that the council aims to address the lack of representation of grassroots businesspeople in various business associations. He also highlighted 20 written proposals for reforming the technology sector, presented by fellow coordinators Fahim Mashrur and Fida Haq.
Quoting Churchill, Chowdhury remarked that a positive development is that the government is now listening to the public. He stated, “There is no longer a fear of being lost if one speaks up. Therefore, instead of traditional associations, we are forming an advisory council comprising genuine businessmen. Many associations do not genuinely represent the community, and this results in the government receiving misleading information. We aim to establish a Business Advisory Council in BIDA, similar to Singapore’s EDB, within a short period to create a fair competitive and investment-friendly environment.”
On the other hand, BTRC Commissioner Mahmood Hossain urged civil society to play a role in reinstating the NEIR, which had been suspended despite its detrimental effects on the country. He pointed out that while the BTRC is a regulatory body, it also serves to create a favorable environment for the relevant sector. Hossain emphasized the importance of ensuring competition in the market and the necessity of using the internet to enhance education and productivity. To improve accessibility to mobile handsets and the internet, he mentioned the readiness of BTRC to implement a set lock system and provide toll-free access to calls and data. However, he stressed that civil society must exert pressure for these changes to occur.
Hossain explained that BTRC is not an operator but facilitates operators by establishing fiber connections to spread 5G services. He also noted that BTRC has released a 6 GHz spectrum to facilitate IoT development. A consultation meeting will be held on October 17 to discuss these matters further.
During the discussion, Abdul Awal Uzzal, a member of Bangladesh’s top-rated freelancer community, raised concerns about the lack of remittance incentives from banks. He argued that without updating the curriculum to focus on skill development rather than merely income, creating new employment opportunities would be challenging. Another freelancer, Zakir Hossain, questioned the need to provide incentives to those already earning, to which Tanvir Ibrahim of the Bangladesh Association of Call Centers and Outsourcing (BACCO) responded that such incentives are intended to encourage the repatriation of earnings from abroad.
The issue of considering R&D tax credits was also raised, along with the suggestion to regard the internet as a digital public good.
Mahmudul Hasan Sohag, founder of Onnorokom Group, emphasized the need for a narrative change regarding the quality of IT skills, advocating for the use of EdTech platforms and training. He highlighted the importance of discipline and hard work, noting that outdated curricula in universities have resulted in diploma holders from various sectors performing better than computer science graduates.
Anwar Raihan, CEO of Dinet, stated that e-GP has failed to prevent corruption and instead has created competition among private firms for government contracts. Raisul Kabir, CEO of Brain Station, mentioned that despite significant budgets allocated for the IT sector, a lack of proper pipelines is hindering progress. He added that businesses registered in Singapore often face legal obstacles in Bangladesh, which lacks a proper framework for companies producing SaaS products. The speakers concurred that the absence of collaboration, coordination, consistency, and credibility has led many initiatives to falter.
