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Locally made smartphones could be available for between $50 and $60, Prime Minister’s Adviser for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Rehan Asif Asad has said.
The government has taken an initiative to provide affordable, data-enabled smartphones to people across the country, he said.
The adviser made the remarks as a special guest at an event titled “Powering the Future: Robi Completes Dhaka Modernisation” in Tejgaon, Dhaka, on Wednesday (August 19).
Regarding the initiative to reduce smartphone prices, Rehan Asif said the government had held discussions with local mobile phone manufacturers, mobile phone-related businesses and various organisations ahead of the budget.
Taxes, VAT and duties on raw materials used in mobile phone manufacturing, which previously ranged from 26% to 33%, have been significantly reduced. In some cases, the rates have been reduced to zero, while in others they have been brought down to between 2% and 5%, he said.
The main objective of the initiative is to make quality smartphones available to people at affordable prices, the adviser said.
Following discussions with local manufacturers, he said they had indicated that it could be possible to produce Android-based data-enabled smartphones for around $50 to $60.
Manufacturers have also expressed interest in starting production of such smartphones soon, he added.
Rehan Asif said initiatives were being taken to bring smartphones under the central bank’s EMI programme and encourage private banks to offer instalment facilities to buyers.
Nearly 50% of mobile phone users in the country still use feature phones, the adviser said.
“Out of approximately 14 crore mobile subscribers, around 7 crore people are still using feature phones. It is urgent to change this situation,” he added.