Mahmudul Hasan

IT exports from Bangladesh have fallen for the first time in five years, which is an ominous sign for the government’s export diversification efforts as the country is failing to produce big IT firms.

The mobile subscriber base in Bangladesh continues to grow as network operators in the country acquired a total of about 14 lakh customers in July, registering the biggest monthly jump in over a year.

No government agency is taking responsibility for the MTFE scam that has left thousands of Bangladeshis staring at catastrophic losses due to the murky nature of its operations.

The internet regulator in Bangladesh is amending a guideline in order to double the duration of storing user data and network usage records by internet service providers (ISPs).

The insurance regulator of Bangladesh has finalised a framework enabling tech startups to innovate insurance policies, their distribution and other related tasks.

Around 1.6 lakh customers have so far taken the loan

Transactions through cards hit an all-time high in June thanks to increased economic activities during Eid-ul-Azha as consumers enthusiastically embraced the spirit of the occasion by making purchases.

In 2011 when mobile financial service (MFS) was introduced in Bangladesh, 27 banks took the approval from the central bank as many had correctly predicted an impending boom in mobile banking amid rising usage of cell phones. 

Mobile network operator Banglalink has decided to apply for a digital banking licence as it looks to leverage its vast pool of customers to serve a population increasingly using technologies to make and receive payments.

SpaceX has expressed its intention to launch a satellite internet service called Starlink in Bangladesh as officials of the US-based company founded by Elon Musk yesterday met with two government entities to this end.

SpaceX's Starlink may sign a deal with ICT division

The grim scenario of the mobile manufacturing industry in Bangladesh continues to persist as local production plunged by half in the first six months of 2023, primarily due to the expanding grey market. 

Experts say

Calls, social networking and news consumption dominate internet usage in Bangladesh amidst a scarcity of local and Bangla content.

Bangladesh Bank has recently alerted banks and non-bank financial institutions that they are at risk of cyberattacks and asked them to heighten their guard against malware and viruses.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has recently decided to fine 17 International Internet Gateway (IIG) service operators a total of Tk 45 lakh for violating rules, including under invoicing, not sharing revenue and changing share structures without prior approval. 

Information technology exports from Bangladesh grew in the July-April period of the just-concluded fiscal year on the bank of higher demand for IT-enabled services from global clients, official figures showed. 

Customers are increasingly opting for mobile financial services to top up balances, helping mobile carriers earn more than Tk 1,000 crore a month for the first time from the sales processed through MFS providers. 

For the second time in two weeks, a bill was passed in the parliament that has taken its relevant industry stakeholders by surprise and is now facing a pushback.

In 2012, the government took on a Tk 541 crore project to convert 8,500 post offices in rural areas to e-centres for the communities.