Mahmudul Hasan

Three private submarine cables have backtracked from their initial decisions to supply bandwidth separately through undersea cables and have now agreed to collaborate on one connection amid the US dollar shortage. 

The proposed budget for 2023-24 is unrealistic and unattainable as the challenges that caused the economic growth to decelerate, foreign exchange reserves to dip and inflation to surge in the past one year still persist, said economists and think-tanks.  

“If a person is not liable for tax, how can you really tax the person? This is a desperate attempt to increase direct taxes,” he added.

In the context of ongoing crisis and problems, the macroeconomic projections announced in the budget are illusional and unattainable, the Centre for Policy Dialogue said in its instant budget reaction.

The prices of mobile phones are set to increase in the upcoming fiscal as the government proposed raising value-added tax (VAT) on local production of handsets.

The allocation for the ICT Division may increase by Tk 452 crore to Tk 2,368 crore in the proposed budget for 2023-24 fiscal year.

The budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Science and Technology may decline by Tk 3,007 crore or 22 per cent to Tk 13,607 crore in the proposed budget for 2023-24 fiscal year.

"Mobile sales have dropped drastically due to the economic downturn for people. Handset sales dropped by over 40 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2023"

Mobile subscriber numbers witnessed a slight growth in April, as two of the top operators made gains while the other two lost customers. 

Scientifically unfounded apprehensions of health risks from radio waves of phone masts have turned into a major impediment to the delivery of better services from telecom and tower service providers. 

The telecom regulator is set to introduce fixed maximum tariff rates for mobile data packages with the aim of ensuring simple and affordable connectivity services for consumers.

The private investment-to-GDP ratio in Bangladesh declined in the current fiscal year owing to a lower confidence among investors amid the persisting dollar crisis and global uncertainty, higher inflation and a fall in demand for goods in international markets.

Players in the ICT industry of Bangladesh have urged the government to adopt long-term policies, which include extending income tax exemption for the sector by six years and incentivising exports of IT-enabled services (ITES).

Different tax rebates are needed to help e-commerce companies in Bangladesh regain their growth trajectory after facing a significant downturn for the past two years, according to industry people.

When Mohammad Oli Ahad founded Intelligent Machines back in 2018, finding a coworking space called Moar was a big relief as it helped save on numerous office expenses.

The number of internet subscribers rose in March as mobile network operators and broadband service providers both bagged new customers due to increased usage of different digital services other than social media. 

Local software and other information technology-enabled services (ITES) exports to Japan have witnessed a surge in recent times as Bangladeshi companies have established a foothold in the East Asian country. 

Startups in Bangladesh raised about $35.58 million in the first three months of 2023, according to LightCastle Partners, a Dhaka-based research and business consulting firm.

Monthly wage growth for workers in Bangladesh has remained below the inflation rate for 15 months consecutively, suggesting that many people are having to reduce consumption to cope with increased financial stress.

Monthly wage growth for workers in Bangladesh has remained below the inflation rate for 15 months consecutively, suggesting that many people are having to reduce consumption to cope with increased financial stress.