244
Bangladesh
resource development, development of ICT infrastructure, facilitation of research and
development of ICTs, and development of ICT industries on a priority basis. The policy
also highlights the importance of hardware industries, e-commerce, e-governance, and
legal issues relating to ICTs, as well as the application of ICTs in areas such as health
care, agriculture, social welfare, and transportation.
12 Ongoing initiatives are being
taken to meet the goal of digitizing the country: special free Wi-Fi zones have been
created for students at Shahjalal University and Dhaka University; textbooks have been
published online; computer labs have been set up in 128 schools in 64 districts; and
equal access has been ensured through the creation of community e-centers across the
country.
13
The number of Internet users in Bangladesh in 2009 was 617,300, representing a
penetration rate of 0.38 percent. Fixed broadband subscriptions reached 50,000 users,
representing a penetration rate of 0.03 percent.
14 Although 99 percent of homes lack
a telephone line, the country ’ s mobile market is undergoing rapid growth, and penetration is expected to continue to grow rapidly as a result of the large amount of
private investment in the sector, lower handset and usage prices, and increasingly
more affordable packages for low-income users.
15 As of June 2010, there were 60
million mobile subscribers in the country, representing a penetration rate of 37
percent.
16 In 2009, according to Bangladeshi Internet service providers (ISPs), there
were around 4.5 million customers who used the Internet, with 90 percent of them
connecting through mobile phone operators ’ wireless modems.
17
Since the deregulation of very small aperture terminals (VSATs) by the government
in February 2000, the number of ISPs has grown dramatically. As of November 2010,
there were approximately 105 nationwide ISPs operating in Bangladesh.
18 In 2009 the
market leaders for Internet service providers were Citycell and GrameenPhone.
19
Mango and the Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) are the
two international Internet gateway providers in the country. As of April 2008, all ISPs
were required by regulation to route their international traffi c to either provider, who
would then send the traffi c via the submarine cable or VSATs.
20
In 2006, Bangladesh connected to the South East Asia – Middle East – Western Europe
4 (SEA-ME-WE 4) optical fi ber submarine communications cable system — the primary
Internet backbone between Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East,
and Europe.
21 Since connecting to the SEA-ME-WE 4, the country has seen Internet
bandwidth prices drop signifi cantly. In 2008, the Bangladesh Telecommunication
Regulatory Commission (BTRC)
22 slashed wholesale Internet bandwidth prices drastically, from BDT 80,000 (approximately USD 1,125) per Mbps to BDT 18,000 (approximately USD 250) per Mbps.
23 In 2009, after complaints that retail prices were still too
high for slow, unreliable connections, the BTRC indicated that they were going to begin
monitoring ISPs to ensure that retail prices refl ected the reduced wholesale prices.
24
The Internet ’ s speed in Bangladesh remains one of the slowest in the world. The average
upload speed is 0.77 Mbps, and the average download speed is 0.87 Mbps.
25
Bangladesh
resource development, development of ICT infrastructure, facilitation of research and
development of ICTs, and development of ICT industries on a priority basis. The policy
also highlights the importance of hardware industries, e-commerce, e-governance, and
legal issues relating to ICTs, as well as the application of ICTs in areas such as health
care, agriculture, social welfare, and transportation.
12 Ongoing initiatives are being
taken to meet the goal of digitizing the country: special free Wi-Fi zones have been
created for students at Shahjalal University and Dhaka University; textbooks have been
published online; computer labs have been set up in 128 schools in 64 districts; and
equal access has been ensured through the creation of community e-centers across the
country.
13
The number of Internet users in Bangladesh in 2009 was 617,300, representing a
penetration rate of 0.38 percent. Fixed broadband subscriptions reached 50,000 users,
representing a penetration rate of 0.03 percent.
14 Although 99 percent of homes lack
a telephone line, the country ’ s mobile market is undergoing rapid growth, and penetration is expected to continue to grow rapidly as a result of the large amount of
private investment in the sector, lower handset and usage prices, and increasingly
more affordable packages for low-income users.
15 As of June 2010, there were 60
million mobile subscribers in the country, representing a penetration rate of 37
percent.
16 In 2009, according to Bangladeshi Internet service providers (ISPs), there
were around 4.5 million customers who used the Internet, with 90 percent of them
connecting through mobile phone operators ’ wireless modems.
17
Since the deregulation of very small aperture terminals (VSATs) by the government
in February 2000, the number of ISPs has grown dramatically. As of November 2010,
there were approximately 105 nationwide ISPs operating in Bangladesh.
18 In 2009 the
market leaders for Internet service providers were Citycell and GrameenPhone.
19
Mango and the Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) are the
two international Internet gateway providers in the country. As of April 2008, all ISPs
were required by regulation to route their international traffi c to either provider, who
would then send the traffi c via the submarine cable or VSATs.
20
In 2006, Bangladesh connected to the South East Asia – Middle East – Western Europe
4 (SEA-ME-WE 4) optical fi ber submarine communications cable system — the primary
Internet backbone between Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East,
and Europe.
21 Since connecting to the SEA-ME-WE 4, the country has seen Internet
bandwidth prices drop signifi cantly. In 2008, the Bangladesh Telecommunication
Regulatory Commission (BTRC)
22 slashed wholesale Internet bandwidth prices drastically, from BDT 80,000 (approximately USD 1,125) per Mbps to BDT 18,000 (approximately USD 250) per Mbps.
23 In 2009, after complaints that retail prices were still too
high for slow, unreliable connections, the BTRC indicated that they were going to begin
monitoring ISPs to ensure that retail prices refl ected the reduced wholesale prices.
24
The Internet ’ s speed in Bangladesh remains one of the slowest in the world. The average
upload speed is 0.77 Mbps, and the average download speed is 0.87 Mbps.
25