Smart Postboxes to be installed at community level
State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak has passed instructions for launching an automated delivery service called 'Smart Postbox' at the community level. As his instructions, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) under the Department of Posts and Telecommunications and Directorate of Posts have taken the initiative of Smart Services to bring the digital divide to zero in addition to making citizen services easier and more people-friendly.
Apart from implementation of National Broadband Policy with the technical support of Aspire to Innovate-A2I, theICTDivision, will launch smart Bangladesh assistant app 'Sathi', mobile airtime based government service fee payment, smart article collection (letters, documents, parcels), smart mobile post office and smart post on pilot basis.
Media spokesperson of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications Md. Shefayet Hossain conveyed the matter in a press release on Tuesday. Shefayet Hossain. It is said that if the 'Smart Postboxes' invented by A2I are launched, the postal items arriving at different addresses of the citizens will be delivered to the 'Smart Postboxes' established at the community level. As soon as this box receives something, the specified recipient will receive a notification through a message on his mobile. After confirming identity, you can collect specific items from specific boxes. This fully device- and technology-based infrastructure enables collection of postal items 24/7, without the presence of any manpower. Initially, these boxes will be installed in a series of major population areas.
After taking charge of the Department of Posts and Telecommunications, the State Minister gave instructions to launch these smart services on a trial basis in a separate meeting on December 6. He also instructed to proceed quickly in the implementation of all smart services arising from the 'Smart Service Design Lab' organized earlier with the help of A2I of Information and Communication Technology Division.
Smart Bangladesh assistant app 'Sathi' is basically being launched as a virtual assistant app like Apple's Siri or Amazon's Alexa. It is a system of connection, which will be like a human companion or partner. From this, the user will get all kinds of information. BTRC will provide all-out support for A2i developed AI technology 'Sathi' app to be downloaded at zero rate and on every mobile.
All digital services of the government, payment services etc. will be connected to it. As a result, citizens will be able to do more tasks easily using mobile than before. A basic interface of Sathi has already been created. The app will be 'merged' with mobile number. It will not be activated in the set only if the SIM is activated in the mobile but it has to be installed in the mobile. But there will also be a system so that it does not consume any data to download it. So that the app does not take up too much space on the mobile is also being thought of. Smart and feature phone - Both phones can be used forthis. Sathi needs to be downloaded from App Store or Play Store.
Users who are uncomfortable using USSD or other features will connect to the service by simply telling the Sathi app. If you want to talk to a call center representative, Sathi will arrange to talk to you. Saathi will gradually connect the services of private operators and various service centers. This will reduce the use of different apps for different services on mobile. Various features of Sathi will be rolled out to customers in phases. In this case, if Sathi is installed, every feature will be automatically updated from Play Store and App Store as soon as it becomes available. Sathi will continue to get smarter to serve users as a GPT-enabled AI assistant. There are plans to add chatbots with Sathi in the future for customer convenience.
Besides, a common AI assistant will be created by linking the AI assistant of the national helpline 333 with the emergency helpline 999. In this regard, BTRC and A2I will work together. Besides, AI Assistants of national helpline 333 will be trained for redressal of complaints related to telecom services.
The Direct Operator Billing (DOB) payment system will also be introduced to facilitate the payment process of various government services for the citizens, especially the marginalized groups. DOB is a payment method through which mobile phone subscribers can pay for various digital services, utility bills, etc. using airtime. If DOB is introduced in all government services, it will be possible to eliminate the hassle of payment channels and at the same time citizens will be able to enjoy various digital services at home. It was decided to work with Bangladesh Bank under the leadership of BTRC.
