Bangladesh adds 3.3cr internet surfers in a decade
The number of internet users in Bangladesh expanded by 3.3 crore between 2010 and 2019, bringing another 20 % of the populace online, according to a recently available report.
Over the same period, India added 36.1 crore new users, or 26 % of its population and Pakistan added 4.8 crore new users, or 22 per cent of its population.
The report styled, 'Advancing digital societies in the Asia Pacific: a whole-of-government approach', was published by the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) the other day. The association represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide.
As part of the study, the GSMA surveyed government agencies, mobile network operators and other players in the digital ecosystem in 11 countries.
The number of internet users in Bangladesh reached 11.11 crore in September, a 13 % increase when compared to same period in 2019, data from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission showed.
"Bangladesh has witnessed a tremendous growth in the number of mobile internet subscribers during the last decade," Mustafa Jabbar, post and telecom minister, told The Daily Star yesterday.
5G service is now available in a lot more than 10 countries in the Asia Pacific region, including Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand, the report said.
According to forecasts, the combined number of 5G connections in the 11 countries will reach 310 million by 2025.
Besides, many countries in the Asia Pacific have plans to facilitate Industry 4.0 (the fourth professional revolution) within their economies, as evinced by various government and industry responses to the survey, it added.
Industry 4.0 identifies the introduction of cyber-physical systems, networks, IoT, big data, cloud storage, artificial intelligence and augmented reality.
The fourth professional revolution is likely to have a much wider effect on society than its predecessors. And nearly all respondents to the survey expect the main element objectives of Industry 4.0 to be delivered by 2025.
E-government, manufacturing and healthcare are among the most notable sectors expected to feel the immediate impact of Industry 4.0. A key enabler of Industry 4.0 will be intelligent connectivity, which is often referred to as the fusion of advanced networks, AI and the Internet of Things (IoT).
The intelligent connectivity era has begun in the Asia Pacific and mobile operators are at the forefront with investments in 5G infrastructure and different transformative technologies, including AI and IoT.
The report also mentioned that the post-pandemic world is set to be shaped by the higher make use of digital technologies for everyday activities.
Therefore, stakeholders have to have a holistic approach in this technique, taking into consideration the direct and indirect impacts it has on societies.
More than 64 % of government respondents expect e-government services and manufacturing to drastically reap the benefits of Industry 4.0.
Meanwhile, 50 % said that they believe the healthcare sector will receive a boost and 43 % thought the same about agriculture and retail.
Thirty-six per cent of government respondents also expect the energy sector to benefit from the fourth professional revolution, while 21 % said the same about societal or community progress.
For many governments in the Asia Pacific, Industry 4.0 is of paramount importance with 60 per cent of respondents ranking it to be as crucial as public health and education, which still holds top priority with an 80 % approval rating.
Six per cent of all mobile connections in Bangladesh can be 5G users by 2025, inserting the country at far below the Asia Pacific average of 23 %, the report said.
However, Bangladesh fared much better than Vietnam and Indonesia, where in fact the number of 5G users will be 5 % of their active mobile connections by 2025.
According to the GSMA report, Pakistan, with a projected 4 % 5G penetration by 2025, is put at the lowest rank.
India ranked above Bangladesh with 7 per cent, Thailand 13 per cent and Malaysia 30 %.
South Korea will lead the spot in the utilization of 5G services with 67 %, followed by Australia (54 per cent) Japan (47 %) and Singapore (36 per cent).
The BTRC formed a committee this past year to prepare a draft guideline on 5G services and primarily planned to launch the facility by 2023. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced all preparations to come quickly to a halt for several months.
"We will be ready to roll out 5G services and we've the ability to introduce it before March 26 next year, the golden jubilee of our independence," Jabbar said.
"We've enough 5G spectrum and the network providers and equipment handlers have the ability to install the technology," he added.
Another GSMA report published in July explained that in Bangladesh, 4G will dominate the market with 46 per cent users in 2025.
At that time, 3G users will amount to 30 % and 18 per cent will still be linked to 2G.
But towards the end of 2019, only 10 per cent of internet users had 4G connections, 40 per cent had 3G and the rest of the users just put it to use for calling purposes.
Based on the post and telecom minister, the pandemic created certain obstacles for the expansion of local 4G networks.
"However, I could assure you will have no issue in 4G networks by March 2021," he said.
Bangladesh's Covid-19 response Through Technology
The GSMA report said in the beginning of 2020, most universities in Bangladesh lacked basic learning management systems and digital infrastructure.
With the enforcement of lockdown measures amid the Covid-19 crisis, the University Grants Commission (UGC) introduced policies requiring all universities to go digital also to make admissions, teaching and learning activities accessible online.
Based on the report, within four months, digitalisation was mainstreamed.
Around 3,800 classes are actually held online daily with an increase of than 220,000 students in attendance.
Mobile operators have been instrumental in providing the mandatory connectivity for online learning.
State-owned Teletalk provides connectivity to the students of 42 public and 68 private universities, who are employing the Bangladesh Research and Education Network platform run by the UGC. Grameenphone partnered with several universities, including East Delta University and Dhaka University, to facilitate online learning.
"By the finish of July, around 203,200 classes have been delivered to more than 9.2 million attendees by 10,200 faculty members," the report said.
