Digital service entrepreneurs demand affordable and high-quality Internet

To pay for 1GB of internet data, Bangladeshis need to spend an average of 17 minutes of their income, which is much higher than in Turkey, Thailand, India and Indonesia, says Chaldal co-founder and CEO Wasim Alim

TVS report

October 29, 2024, 17:45

Last modified: October 29, 2024 5:53 pm

Digital service entrepreneurs speak at a roundtable organized by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission in the capital on October 28, 2024. Photo: TBS

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Digital service entrepreneurs speak at a roundtable organized by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission in the capital on October 28, 2024. Photo: TBS

To unlock Bangladesh’s potential, digital services must become popular everywhere and the availability of quality internet will drive much-needed penetration, digital entrepreneurs said at a roundtable yesterday (October 28).

A round table discussion on “Harnessing the power of telecommunications to expand digital services in Bangladesh” organized by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) was held in the capital.

BTRC Chairman Major General (Retd) Emdad-ul-Bari presided over the meeting, which had ICT Department Secretary Shish Haider Chowdhury as the chief guest.

In Bangladesh, despite headlines about mobile and internet subscriptions, more than 40% of the population is still unconnected and nearly 60% of the population does not yet own a smartphone, a reality that drew the roundtable’s attention to the need for a supportive telecom infrastructure similar to that found in successful digitally peer economies.

Representatives from nearly three dozen digital service providers, including prominent startups, said data quality and price continue to be a barrier to faster adoption of digital services across the country, such as e-commerce, EdTech, FinTech, Health Tech and Travel Tech. that can stimulate the economy.

Bangladesh should aim to be a $2 trillion economy by 2040 and to achieve this target it should focus on addressing infrastructure, education and skills challenges, Chaldal co-founder and CEO Wasim Alim said in his speech, adding that Bangladesh is seeing a rise in the number of consumers.

To pay for 1GB of internet data, Bangladeshis need to spend an average of 17 minutes of their income, which is much higher than in Turkey, Thailand, India and Indonesia. According to Alim, only a third of mobile Internet subscribers here use more than 1 GB of data per month.

“Data consumption should be significantly increased due to the availability and quality of internet across the country.”

He further said, “Jio’s revolutionary data penetration in India has helped increase monthly internet consumption per user from 500 MB to 24 GB in six years and also helped increase the digital economy’s share of GDP from 5% to 15% as the number of internet users more than doubled. along with massive infiltration into rural areas.

“Bangladesh lags significantly behind countries like India and Indonesia in terms of the size of the digital economy,” he added.

Speakers, along with removing barriers in the country’s telecom ecosystem to reduce internet prices, called for maximum prices for mobile internet data for the sake of mass availability.

Unlimited mobile data at Tk 500 per month could be an achievable goal if the industry ecosystem is overhauled, says technology entrepreneur AKM Faheem Mashroor, a member of the Ministry of Planning task force.

He also suggested that telecom operators sell smartphones in installments to increase the number of users.

Banglalink Director Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Taimur Rahman emphasized the need for financial strengthening of telecom operators to perform their due role and suggested facilitating the provision of their digital services along with core business.

Representatives from a wide range of digital service providers, including Daraz, Pathao, 10 Minute School, Shikho, Prava Health, Shohoj, Sheba XYZ, Share Trip and E-courier, discussed how the widely perceived high cost of data is slowing their growth, while many also emphasized data quality.

Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, former president of the Bangladesh Mobile Operators Association, said BTRC’s commitment to ensure availability and affordability of various telecom services should lead to positive changes.

BTRC Chairman Emdad-ul-Bari emphasized the regulator’s significant autonomy to implement necessary reforms in the telecom sector that can bridge the digital divide.

ICT Minister Shish Haider Chowdhury emphasized the importance of data privacy, accessibility and interoperability along with broader digital literacy and awareness.

“The digital divide in the country is gradually closing and we need deep collaboration between government, academia and industry,” he added.

The program, moderated by Brigadier General Mohammad Khalil-Ur-Rahman, Director General, Systems and Services Division, BTRC, was attended by all senior officials of BTRC, including its Deputy Chairman, Commissioners and Directors General.