Around 7 crore people will be brought under mobile data network coverage within the next six to 12 months, said Rehan Asif Asad, adviser to the prime minister on posts and telecommunications.
He said nearly 50 percent of mobile phone users in Bangladesh still use 2G or feature phones, making it impossible to shift all of them to smartphones overnight.
“Of the around 14 crore mobile phone users in the country, nearly half still use 2G phones. We cannot bring these 7 crore people onto smartphones overnight. But we can bring them under data networks within the next six to 12 months,” he said.
The adviser was speaking at a roundtable titled “Spectrum for a Connected Bangladesh: Enabling Internet for All” held at the Holiday Inn hotel in Tejgaon on Saturday. The Telecom and Technology Reporters Network Bangladesh (TRNB) organised the event.
Rehan said the availability of affordable smartphones and easy instalment facilities could help bring millions of people into the country’s digital ecosystem.
He said discussions on addressing the issue began about two weeks before the national budget, with manufacturers and other industry stakeholders working together to find a solution.
“Manufacturers came forward and demonstrated that it is possible to produce such phones,” he said.
Initially, discussions focused on whether a smartphone could be produced for around Tk 3,000. However, manufacturers prepared a bill of materials within seven days and found that producing a phone at that price was not feasible.
They concluded that such a device could be produced for between Tk 5,000 and Tk 6,000, he said.
Rehan said a review of smartphone markets in different countries showed that Reliance in India offers one of the cheapest Android phones at around $39.
He said the device uses a hybrid design, with roughly two-thirds of the front featuring a touchscreen and one-third a keypad. Reducing the screen size and incorporating a keypad cuts production costs by about $6, he said.
Bangladeshi manufacturers are now working on a similar model to produce affordable smartphones for the local market, he added.
“Our manufacturers have been working in this industry for around 30 years. Two weeks ago, they came back and said they could produce a similar phone using the Reliance model for $50-$55, or around Tk 5,500 to Tk 6,000,” Rehan said.
The roundtable was moderated by TRNB President SM Masuduzzaman Robin.
Robi Axiata Managing Director and CEO Ziad Shatara, who is also president of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB), Banglalink CEO Johan Buse, Grameenphone CEO Yasir Azman, AMTOB Secretary General Lt Col Mohammad Zulfikar, Banglalink Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer Taimur Rahman, Grameenphone Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Tanvir Mohammad, Robi Axiata Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer Shahed Alam and FICCI Executive Director TIM Nurul Kabir, among others, participated in the discussion.
Telecommunications expert Md Munir Hasan presented the keynote paper, while TRNB General Secretary Faruk Hossain delivered the welcome address.