A total of 97.4 per cent households have mobile phones in the country, but 63.1 per cent of them do not feel the need to use internet, according to the preliminary report of a national survey.

Around 50 per cent of Bangladesh’s manpower are either semi-skilled or unskilled in advanced technologies like geographic information systems, business process outsourcing, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and robotics, an economist said today.

"The telecom company has no intention to provide quality service, as it is not doing anything to fix the problems that its subscribers are facing,” he said.

This is the first time that Bangladesh is hosting the World Finals.

Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar today said that the government has permanently blocked 22,000 porn sites and 6,000 gambling sites He also said that robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) will shape the future.

The government is finally moving ahead with a project to roll out fifth-generation (5G) mobile internet services through state-run network provider Teletalk, according to officials of the planning ministry.

ICT Division has won the “Bangabandhu Public Administration Award-2022” in recognition of its contribution to combat Covid-19 with its digital vaccine management system Surokkha.

The telecom regulator has recently directed International Internet Gateway (IIG) service providers to disconnect bandwidth connections of 286 internet service providers (ISP) for not converting their licences in accordance with guidelines. 

Stocks of Grameenphone have been falling ever since the government banned the country’s top telecom company from selling new SIM cards at a time when shares of its main competitor, Robi Axiata, have entered a bull run.

Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd (BSCCL), the state-run bandwidth importer, is going to spend $3.2 million to upgrade the capacity of its first undersea cable by more than four times. 

Telecom operator Banglalink has recently launched the registration process for the third edition of Banglalink SDG Hackathon - CODE for a CAUSE. The 24-hour hackathon will be held in collaboration with Banglalink’s app store, AppLink.

According to the budget for the fiscal year 2022-23, it has been proposed that Tk 1,917 crore will be allocated for the ICT Division.

A staggering 5,25,820 counts of malware infections have been identified in the four telecom operators in the country, according to the Horizon Scanning Report for Bangladesh Telecom Operators prepared by the cyber threat intelligence researchers of Bangladesh e-Government CIRT (Computer Incident Response Team).

The number of mobile network subscribers in Bangladesh rose for three consecutive months to reach an all-time high in April while internet usage slipped that same month.

The monthly internet usage of mobile subscribers has more than doubled ever since the coronavirus pandemic began as more people are being pushed online for work and entertainment purposes.

Smartphone penetration in Bangladesh is fast approaching 50 per cent as the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies to work, study and find entertainment using smart devices.

The ICT Division and the World Bank will work jointly to build ICT infrastructure in Bangladesh to take the economic development to the next stage, said Junaid Kamal Ahmad, a vice president of the World Bank.

The government’s a2i programme is set to become a full-fledged agency, entering the software and digital innovations industry as a government-subsidised player, but creating uncertainty for local tech companies.

The government will introduce a platform to help the global investors virtually operate their business in Bangladesh, said Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for ICT.

The number of internet users in Bangladesh rose in March thanks to increased usage of both mobile data and broadband services for educational, entertainment and professional purposes amid the improving Covid-19 situation.