Mahmudul Hasan

The number of internet subscribers in Bangladesh spiked by a massive 43.5 lakh in March, the biggest jump in recent years, with mobile data users making up a bulk of the new customers.

Women in Bangladesh are lagging behind men in both mobile ownership and mobile internet adoption, with gender gaps of 20 percent and 40 percent respectively, representing a significant disparity in digital access, according to a global report.

While it is not an uncommon sight to see people typing messages in Bangla on their smartphones, the familiar colours and user interface make it obvious that they are not using communication apps belonging to local companies.

As one strolls along Green Road or ventures into the depths of Karwan Bazar, he or she may come across a raucous circle formed by labourers, rickshaw-pullers, and street vendors.

Handset production rose 5.30 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year to 60.74 lakh, according to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has decided to seek dues totalling Tk 87.18 lakh from Software Shop and impose a fine of Tk 2 lakh on the company for violating different rules.

The telecom regulator will spend Tk 12 crore to purchase equipment for measuring the levels of radiation emanating from mobile phone towers as it seeks to bolster its capacity to carry out such activities nationwide.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has recently decided to give approval to Walton Digi-Tech Industries to locally manufacture printed circuit boards (PCBs) specifically for handsets.

The government plans to abolish the tax benefits for various sectors to accelerate revenue collections in line with targets set by the IMF as part of its $4.7 billion loan.

In a recent internal meeting, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) approved the formulation of the committee comprising officials of its different divisions to prepare the guideline for internet services through non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) satellites.

Less than half of the companies in Bangladesh use computers, according to a World Bank’s survey that revealed the country’s weak position in digital adoption for business compared to peer economies and neighboring nations.

The country’s leading telecom policy expert Abu Saeed Khan died at the Combined Military Hospital in the capital yesterday morning after a battle with cancer.

Bangladeshi internet users are experiencing disruptions after the country’s second submarine cable, SEA-ME-WE 5, the largest supplier of international bandwidth to Bangladesh, broke Friday night.

It will take at least 2 to 3 days to resume the connection

The decision to carry out the audits comes although the claims of the first audits into the operators haven’t been settled yet.

Telecom operators and experts in Bangladesh yesterday demanded restructuring taxation in the sector, arguing that the rates in place are not only limiting the sector’s growth, but also potentially hindering the implementation of “Smart Bangladesh”.

Telenor, the parent company of leading mobile phone operator Grameenphone, has a long-term commitment to the Bangladesh market.

With tax exemptions for the information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services sector ending after this fiscal year, ICT entrepreneurs are demanding the continuation of such incentives for seven more years to help build a ‘Smart Bangladesh’.

Mobile network operators -- Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and Teletalk -- collectively added about 9.2 lakh customers during the month, taking the total mobile subscriber base to 191.3 crore.

The newly drafted telecom law and broadband policy ignored the broadband internet sector, said the top leader of the last mile cable operators, demanding more attention to the sector which caters to six crore customers.