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Prime Minister’s ICT and Telecom Adviser Rehan Asif Asad has stressed the need to make digital devices more affordable and widely available, saying that lowering spectrum prices alone will not be enough to ensure broader digital inclusion.
Speaking at a roundtable organised by the Telecom and Technology Reporters Network Bangladesh (TRNB), he said the government is working at the ministry level to introduce feature phones priced within Tk 5,000 and provide instalment facilities for low-income users.
He said more than half of the country’s population still uses feature phones. Bringing these people into the digital ecosystem through affordable devices would not only increase data usage but also contribute to the growth of the digital economy.
Rehan Asif Asad said the government would take necessary measures to expand digital inclusion. Alongside making devices affordable, the government is also considering tax and duty-related measures that could help reduce the final price of low-end devices.
He said manufacturers could explore partnerships and co-branding arrangements with telecom operators to reduce device costs and bundle handsets with voice and data services.
The adviser said the objective should not simply be to reduce handset prices, but to gradually bring millions of people into the data network. Setting a target to connect a large number of currently unconnected people within the next six to 12 months could, he said, bring fundamental changes to the country.
He also highlighted the potential use of the Service Obligation Fund (SOF) to bring low-income and underserved users into the digital economy. Referring to international practices, he said universal funds are often used to support the transition of low-income users from feature phones to smartphones and to expand public Wi-Fi.
Bangladesh could similarly explore how SOF resources can be leveraged to bring people across society into the digital economy, he said.
According to the adviser, expanding access to data services and smartphone-based services would have a direct economic impact. He argued that increasing connectivity could contribute significantly to economic growth, particularly as a large section of the population remains outside digital connectivity.
On spectrum renewal, Rehan Asif Asad said decisions should be rational and based on network quality, future business models, service capacity and consumer needs. He urged stakeholders not to remain tense over the upcoming renewal process, saying the government would work toward decisions that are reasonable and beneficial to both consumers and the industry.
The meeting also discussed the country’s future data demand and telecom infrastructure capacity. Industry representatives highlighted the need to expand network capacity to cope with continued growth in data traffic.
The roundtable was chaired by TRNB President S M Masuduzzaman Robin. BTRC Chairman Major General Md Emdad Ul Bari, AMTOB President and Robi CEO Ziad Sattar, Grameenphone CEO Yasir Azman, Banglalink CEO Johan Buse and telecom expert TIM Nurul Kabir attended the event.
Grameenphone Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Tanvir Mohammad, Banglalink Chief Corporate Officer Taimur Rahman, Robi Company Secretary Sahed Alam, AMTOB Secretary General Md Zulfikar and FICCI Executive Director Nurul Kabir also spoke at the meeting.
In his welcome speech, TRNB Secretary General Faruk Hossain said the meeting was organised to discuss practical challenges, including balanced spectrum allocation among operators and issues such as eGSM, and to seek appropriate policy direction. Telecom expert Munir Hasan presented the keynote paper.
