Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar said the Internet is the vehicle of digital civilization. The Internet is now as essential as breathing in every field of life. Millions of young people in Bangladesh have become successful entrepreneurs thanks to the Internet. If we cannot build a highway to digital connectivity to meet the challenges of the digital age, we will not be able to avoid its responsibility, said the Minister.
He emphasized the need to expand the reach of high speed broadband internet to meet the demands of the times. The Minister was speaking as the chief guest at a dialogue titled Telecom Tax Policy and Ecosystem jointly organized by Bangladesh Internet Government Forum (BIGF) and MTB at Sonargaon Hotel in the capital. The Minister of Telecommunications, referring to the Internet as an essential service sector, said that the contribution of the Internet to national growth is immense. He highlighted the need for internet in industry and commerce, including manufacturing processes. He said investors now want to know if there is a Five-G connection before investing. "We don't have to look at the revenue in terms of the internet, we have to look at the progress of civilization first," he said. He assured of possible cooperation in making a series of recommendations to convey to the concerned people about the revenue. The Minister emphasized the need to enhance the quality of customer service by ensuring the quality of mobile phone service and said that non-compensation of customers for call drop was not acceptable and could not be in line with business policy. He said telco service providers, including mobile operators, should try to understand the minds of customers. He criticized the mobile data package approach, saying "I will use the data I buy, whenever I want, as long as I need it." The role of Teletalk in revoking the data limit has been fruitful and called on other operators to come forward to ensure customer interest. Mustafa Jabbar. Mentioning that Five-G is not a traditional mobile technology, he said that Five-G will serve as a facilitator of the change of era. He stressed on the need to create awareness about the practical aspects of Five-G. He said now we need 2G, 4 wins and 5G must be expanded. As a result of mobile production in the country, production of 4G-5G sets has also become easier.
He thanked BTRC for introducing one country one rate in the country.
Hasanul Haque Inu highlighted the availability of smartphones and the need to set a reasonable tax for the telco sector. He said that one crore people are working in the telco sector and demanded recognition of internet as a fundamental right. He emphasized on ensuring access to smart phones and quality of mobile services for the digital economy.
The Secretary for Posts and Telecommunications emphasized the need to ensure high quality as well as quality of existing mobile services.
The Chairman of BTRC outlined the various policies formulated for the development of the telco sector. He said that BTRC was working with the stakeholders in every field including policy formulation. He said that BTRC not only regulates but also acts as a facilitator.
